This is a photo of me at the base of the statue of King Alfred of Great Britain in Winchester, England. This was taken two weeks before the one-year anniversary of the surgery with Dr. Thomas Mazahery that fused four discs in my back.
Prior to the surgery, I could barely walk 10 minutes without having to stop because of terrible pain in my hip. I couldn’t ride more than about 10 miles without pain.
The day after this photo was taken, I rode eight hours over incredibly rough terrain from Winchester to Salisbury, a distance of 33 miles, on a path known as the King Alfred Way. Normally, on road surfaces, I could do that ride in about two and a half hours. Many miles of this ride involved pushing a heavy mountain bike, laden with a pack, up rocky hills. I also crashed four times on the path.
There is no way I could have even thought about doing this ride before my surgery. Yet, less than a year later, I was able to complete it without any problems from my back or hip.
I am truly indebted to Dr. Mazahery for helping me get back to living a normal life and pursuing my passion for physical activity. Even though I am 72, I no longer have to curtail my activities because of my back.
– as told by Larry L., Dr. Mazahery’s patient