I spent the better part of the last decade in a good deal of pain due to an undiagnosed spinal injury in my neck. In the 4-5 months leading up to having surgery, the pain and muscle spasms were so bad I couldn't stand or walk on my own, put on my own clothes, or take care of myself. I was severely suicidally depressed, extremely overweight, and jobless.

In July of 2022 I was finally able to get approved for surgery (I had to wait 3 months for an MRI), my surgeon performed a corpectomy (removal of the vertebral body) of my C5-C6 vertebrae and fused C4-C7. I spent the next 3 months in a neck brace, doing rehab and physical therapy and decided that this was going to be the turning point in my life.

In the 9 months since I got the brace off, we've been eating better (the hardest one) and I lift weights 2x per week for about 1.5 hrs and walk 3x per week for about 45 min. I've lost about 40 lbs so far and I can definitely see changes in my physique for the first time. I have a long way to go, but I makes me proud to see how far I have come.

But to answer to question, yesterday I went on a 4.5 mile hike up a mountain with a friend and was able to complete it all. My feet are quite sore today, but I'm really proud of myself for being able to do something like that after being in such bad condition.