My name is Sam Perroni. I'm a trial attorney
from Little Rock, Arkansas. After an auto accident in early 2005, I
was left with disabling back pain that absolutely dominated EVERY aspect
of my life. I was unable to work, unable to enjoy the most innocuous
social situations, unable to function. Although I am very well connected
to the medical community in Little Rock, I quickly exhausted all of
my options here, with little hope for returning to normal life.
Seeking the best medical care available in
the world, in January, 2006, I went to the world famous Mayo Clinic
in Rochester Minnesota. After three weeks and seemingly every test
known to man, I was told what amounted to, "You have no
reasonable surgical options. You are a pain management patient. This
is your life, get used to it." (While this sounds harsh,
I have to say that have nothing but thanks and admiration for the doctors
at Mayo. They were kind and thorough and offered me the best technology
that was available to them.)
While at the Mayo, my wife Pat was doing laundry
in the hotel basement laundromat. A man named Dave struck a conversation
with her and when she told him why we were at the Mayo, he said, "you
have to talk to my brother!" I contacted Dave's brother Joe, who
told me, "you have to talk to Mark at GPN!" (After
exhaustive research, including attending the International Patient
Symposium, Joe used Mark's services to present to top artificial disc
replacement surgeons and to travel with him as his patient advocate
in Germany.)
Remember that I spent 3 weeks in January at
the Mayo clinic and was told that I had no reasonable options other
than pain management. I first spoke to Mark at GPN on January 29th.
Within a week, he had my films online and they were being reviewed
by the most experienced ADR surgeon in the world. Within a week after
that, I was speaking with the doctor and we were discussing surgery
dates.
During the process, Mark uncovered an issue
that was buried in the reams of test results from Mayo. A flurry of
activity ensued that included much discussion, additional tests, discussions
with other doctors about treatment options. Based on this, I felt very
comfortable going into the surgery knowing that we had the best technology
available and already in the OR (and backups on hand). No surprises.
I decided to use Mark as my patient advocate
in Germany, as Joe did. I cannot express how important it was for me
and Pat to have Mark there. At every turn, it seemed that Mark made
things easier and more comfortable. But it is not just about comfort-level;
it's about feeling like I understood each and every step of the way
and was able to make informed decisions. There is so much to understand.
At my experience level as a spine patient and in my disabled state,
I was in no position to process the information presented without the
help and caring assistance that Mark provides.
Upon arrival at the AlphaKlinik, it was immediately
clear that I was about to get the best care available. Everything about
thier facility is first-class. Their x-rays are clearer, MRI's sharper.
The neuro exam by Dr. Herbert Baumbagh was unlike any other I'd experienced...
so much more throrough and complete.
This surgery is a big ordeal and is not easy
to recover from, but the setup at the AlphaKlinik, Mark's assistance,
and the excellent Sheraton Grand across the street, made for as good
an experience as is possible when you are talking about multi-level
spine surgery!
At the time I'm writing this, I'm only six
weeks post-op. While I don't know how good I'll get, I can tell you
that my life is already a hundred times better than before the surgery.
I am doing things that were impossible just a few short weeks ago.
I can walk many blocks with my new grandchild, where one block was
too much before the surgery. I went to my daughter's for Easter (a
2,5 hour drive) - something that was impossible to consider. I have
a life again, where I had no life before the surgery.
Thank you Dr. Zeegers and thank you Mark!
Sam Perroni 4/24/06
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