L. Ondra, MD

[Guest guest]

Hi, Fellow Feisties --

First, a warm welcome to all our new members this week! In case you

haven't navigated the site yet, I would encourage you to do so.

Beyond the posts you may be receiving in your email, our online site

offers numerous articles and other resources. Our posts are archived

back to the beginning of this group in 2000, and you can do a

keyword search of these archives to see what we may have had to say

on a specific topic of interest.

Otherwise, I hope and expect that you will be enriched by

participating in our ongoing discussions of HARMS (flatback

syndrome) and the many other problems, big and small, with which

scoliosis-surgery vets and their families are grappling daily. We

are a moderately large forum at this point, well over 300 members

strong. So it is more likely than ever that someone here will know

something about a particular problem that may concern you right now.

At the same time, you may be a rich source of information and moral

support to others here -- so please do not hesitate to speak out and

tell us your story.

Lois, in addition to the welcome, I want to wish you the very best

in view of your spinal surgery next week. If you have specific

questions you would like to ask privately, feel free to email me.

You had asked about Dr. Ondra at Northwestern University. As

others have already mentioned (thanks, guys -- still trying to get

myself to the PC more consistently), I have a very strong opinion

about this surgeon. He is absolutely the best! I have had eight

major reconstructive procedures, performed by a mixed back of

specialists. Of all my surgeons, there are two I recommend

consistently and without reservation to other revision-surgery

candidates: orthopod Rand, MD, at New England Baptist

Hospital in Boston, and neurosurgeon (with additional ortho

training) L. Ondra, MD, here in Chicago. Dr. Rand performed

my initial flatback revision four years ago. Dr. Ondra has performed

four subsequent procedures on me, all between February and May 2004

(details available in the Feisty archives).

Dr. Ondra is meticulous and exacting, not to mention highly

experienced in correcting complex spinal deformities. He devotes

impressive blocs of time to analyzing the specific surgical issues

his patients present. He is always teaching new spinal fellows --

wish I could fill you in on the new crop since I was last in

Northwestern, but I have had fun meeting and dealing with a motley

crew of young men and women who were training under Dr. Ondra.

Dr. Ondra is also active in a wide variety of organizations and

public policy issues, from Medicare issues affecting the elderly to

the Scoliosis Research Society to friendly international relations.

(I believe he operated on the spine of the daughter of a prominent

Chinese leader.)

Beyond this, Dr. Ondra is a mensch. I have rarely met any physician

or surgeon as warm, empathic, and intuitively insightful -- as far

as I can tell, in relation to each individual human being he

encounters. He has that " spark. " He does not suppress or disguise

his feelings. He is all there with you. He is honest and direct. He

is a deeply kind person. He will take good care of you -- your

spine, your organism, your spirit.

I will not enumerate his honors here, i.e., several " best doctor "

awards and listings, but you can easily " google " him and review

these for yourself if you have not already done so. I believe he has

been featured prominently, just this past year, in the Trib and

Chicago Magazine, among other publications. We should have several

of his journal articles archived here at the " Feisty " online site;

among other things, he and several colleagues at other U.S. teaching

hospitals pioneered the pedicle subtraction osteotomy now coming

into wider use.

I did find one interesting human-interest story I had not previously

seen while surfing around yesterday, the transcript of a television

newsmagazine presentation on brain surgery which includes

conversation (interviewer Garrick Utley), hospital rounds, and a

visit to the O.R. with Dr. Ondra. I thought I had managed to store

the url for pasting in this post, but no such luck -- again, I

regretfully refer you to Google.com There is a nice interchange

with one post-op patient in her nineties who promises to ask Dr.

Ondra for a date. As it happens, I have actually met the

granddaughter of this patient --herself the spouse of a Northwestern

oncologist -- who told me how happy the whole family was with the

care Dr. Ondra provided for her beloved grandmother, now of blessed

memory. I have never met anyone who was not equally happy with Dr.

Ondra.

Others have told me, and I have sensed this myself, that Dr. Ondra

extends the same time and attention, the same degree of involvement,

to each one of his patients, irrespective of who or what they are,

where they come from, or how their care may be financed.

Bottom line, in my not-so-humble opinion: You just can not do any

better than Ondra when it comes to consigning your

invaluable spinal column to an expert surgeon. You are in good and

capable hands with Ondra. You can trust him on every level, without

reservation.

I know we will all be thinking about you and rooting for you in the

days to come, Lois. If it is any comfort, we have been there, or at

least a great many of us have. You are in good company. You are not

alone. Please take very good care of yourself, and please keep us

posted on your progress.

Best,

( Rasche , your friendly " feistyfounder " )