Henry “Hank” Hession is a guy on the go. You’ll often find him traveling the world, setting sail on a cruise, or even skydiving. So, when the 76-year-old hit a hitch in his stride, he knew something wasn’t right.
“I was out walking when my leg started hurting. I stopped and let it rest and tried stretching before going on,” Hank (pictured above, left and center) explains. “The next day I was walking, and I got a little less distance when it started hurting and probably about a week later, I quit walking.”
Wanting to get to the bottom of it, Hank went to his primary care provider at Bon Secours for help. What initially was thought to be leg pain turned out to be an old back injury reemerging. In the 1980s, Hank injured himself lifting something at work. He didn’t go to the doctor, working through the pain on his own. However, this time, medical intervention was a must.
“They showed us the MRI and you could see where one of the vertebrae was broken, and the one below it was just coming apart, deteriorating. So, they wanted me to consider surgery.”
While surgery can be an option that elicits a lot of anxiety, Hank says Christopher VanPelt. MD, (pictured above, right) put him at ease about what was to come next.
“He’s probably one of the nicest people we’ve met,” Hank recalls. “When we went to see him, he addressed everything, all our concerns. He also told us exactly what he was going to do and exactly how long it was going to take.”
The procedure and resulting recovery, however, went even better than even Dr. VanPelt had predicted. Hank was walking by the day after his surgery and able to go home on day three. In just a week, he’d already ditched the walker he’d been sent home with, and it wasn’t much more time before he was feeling like his old self again.
“I didn’t think we were going to be back in good shape near that soon,” Hank shares. “Dr. VanPelt told me to expect 6 months before I was back to normal, and it probably took me two. Now, I wish you could see me – I’m just like a 50-year-old!”
Hank’s life hasn’t slowed down much. Since his surgery, he’s back to traveling the world. He’s also been cleared to return to his other favorite hobby – skydiving. He says he’s impressed with how much the surgery has helped restore him to the active lifestyle he loves, and he hopes others who find themselves in a similar situation won’t think twice about getting the help they need.
“I had a very good experience. If somebody was in my position, I would drag them to the hospital to get it fixed.”
Learn about the orthopedics and sports medicine services we provide at Bon Secours.
