Your giving matters

Jamie Brady-Smith

Jamie Brady-Smith (pictured with her husband, Dan Smith) is grateful to be pain free after undergoing spine surgery at Huntington Hospital — allowing her to get back to enjoying quality time with her family.

If you need surgery, you should not settle for anything less than the highest level of care. Donor support allows Huntington Hospital to attract outstanding surgeons, purchase state-of-the-art equipment and invest in advanced facilities — all of which combine to make us a regional leader in surgical care.

When Jamie Brady-Smith started feeling pain around her shoulder, she figured it would go away on its own. She was wrong. Her pain grew more and more intense.

Jamie turned to Huntington Hospital for help. She works here as our manager of donor relations and special events, and trusts us to deliver the best possible care. Jamie was diagnosed with spinal stenosis — a narrowing of the spaces within the spine, which can put pressure on your nerves. She underwent a CT-guided epidural procedure at the hospital, performed by Angelos Konstas, MD.

Jamie felt better for about a month, but it did not last. She met with Bradley Johnson, MD, a Huntington Hospital-affiliated orthopedic surgeon who specializes in spine surgery. Dr. Johnson recommended she try physical therapy before undergoing surgery, which helped for a while. “I appreciated the fact that my doctors tried other options to help relieve my pain before resorting to surgery,” she says. Her pain, however, eventually returned — this time even worse than before. “I couldn’t stand, and I couldn’t drive,” she says. “I cried every single day.”

Surgery was now the only option left. Dr. Johnson recommended replacing two of the discs in Jamie’s spine with Mobi-C discs — prosthetics that result in less pain and recovery time than traditional spinal fusion.

The operation was done on an outpatient basis and Jamie was able to go home the same day. “Dr. Johnson was world class, and the nurses were so reassuring,” she says. “I was very anxious, but they explained everything in detail without making me feel like my questions were silly.”

Jamie felt immediate relief after the procedure. Even months later, she is still pain free. She can finally go on walks and spend time with her family without discomfort. Thankful for the compassionate care she received here, Jamie has made several philanthropic gifts to the hospital through our Grateful Hearts program. This program allows patients and their families to honor hospital staff members who made a special impact.

“You don’t realize what you’re missing out on until your pain is gone,” Jamie says. “The surgery was life-changing for me. It’s all thanks to the team at Huntington Hospital, and I’m forever grateful.”

Pictured opposite (from bottom, left to right), Daniel, Kevin, Estevan, Andrew, Riley, Jamie and Dan.