Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.
Trish has asked me (Robbie) to update this site. I will provide as much info she and Randy would like. I know they covet your prayers, encouragement, and love through this process. If you have questions please contact me at robbiesmarr@yahoo.com. Below is a post from Trish's FB page from last week.
I wanted to post this so that if you are so inclined and willing to keep me in your good thoughts and prayers I would greatly appreciate it. This is your warning its a long post btw. On 15 Feb I will be going to Honolulu (a different island) to have "open back posterior spinal fusion" to correct my scoliosis. I was diagnosed as I was going in to the Air Force and since it wasn't a very bad curve I was allowed in and told most likely it would never be a problem. Fast forward. It's a problem! My surgeon called me an "outlier" and said '"You are far outside the normative!". Ah....If he only knew! LOL
I have what is called adolescent idiopathic scoliosis which is fancy terms for "the kid's back is all curvy and we don't know why". I have progressed from less than 20 degrees to 48 degrees and the curve is now at least 52% of my thoracic spine. Without surgery it will continue to progress and I will end up bedridden. That's not gonna work for me as I got plans that involve skiing, shooting, hiking, walking, yoga, etc. This will be approximately a 6 hour surgery performed by
http://kennethkaanmd.org/ (
http://kennethkaanmd.org/) and done at
http://queensmedicalcenter.org/ (
http://queensmedicalcenter.org/). I will be there 3-5 days and then fly home where recovery will be 4-6 months. Its easier when you're a kid of course but I don't do any thing the easy way. Randy Nonaka will be with me every step of the way. Initially Dr Kaan said he would be inserting screws and titanium rods from T1-T12 which is basically from the base of my neck to my waist. I'm already doing meditation and affirmations that help calm me down and to think positively about how I am going to do and the overall outcome.
I will add prayer requests below in the comments.
I will try to add some links that aren't too graphic (animations only probably). ~ Trish
