This is what is possible when God works through a gifted surgeon (Federico Girardi), and gives you a 2nd chance! You must of course do your part. This was possibly the hardest thing I ever had to overcome. But I'm a father and husband with 3 VIBRANT kids, and there is nothing I would not do for a second chance. Four Philadelphia surgeons told me nothing could be done to help. I had put off 2 appointments to HSS figuring I would again be told that my degenerative lumbar spine was simply too diffusely damaged to repair. Dr. Girardi said my 5 Level Lumbar Fusion was really not uncommon and he believed it would help. The surgery was 11 hours. The true recovery and reconditioning took 2 years. It has now been 5 years and I am STILL learning to live smarter and get stronger. Watch the VIDEO of me and my son, look at the photos mid-flip off the 1 meter and 3 meter boards. This is what success looks like, this is what LIFE looks like.