Army Veteran Who Was Close to Being Paralyzed Receives Life-Changing Surgery

In our last episode, we focused on women and back health. Today – it’s time to put men in the spotlight. We want to talk about the importance of men prioritizing their spine health, early detection, and treatment rather than trying to push past pain or let problems linger. Studies show many men aren’t great about that with one study finding nearly 2/3 of men (65%) avoid going to the doctor as long as possible.

As you can imagine – doctors have strong feelings about this. Spine Surgeon Dr. Ehsan Jazini is one of them. We talk with him in this episode about why, how, and when men should reach out if they have neck and back pain. Victor de Leon, a veteran and artist, also shares his story of putting off dealing with his own debilitating neck pain for far too long and why he hopes other men don’t make that same mistake. The graphic designer/artist did two tours in the Middle East that left him with neck pain so debilitating, he couldn’t work or paint. When he finally reached out for help, he learned he was close to becoming paralyzed. He’s since had neck surgery and is back to painting. He also now advocates for veterans to take neck and back pain seriously and seek help – rather than pushing through it and living with the pain.

Follow Patient – Victor de Leon on Instagram @VDart