STEPHEN’S STORY

Stephen Weston is a 73-year-old retired chiropractor from St. George, Utah. An avid athlete who played Division 1 Rugby at BYU, he has completed several marathons, triathlons, and bike races. Stephen and his wife, RaNae, were serving as Military Relations Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland when he woke up one morning with low back pain and sciatica. The pain extended down his leg, and it wasn’t caused by any injury that he was aware of. Stephen used a combination of ice and ibuprofen for relief, but the pain gradually got much worse. Stephen was having trouble with sitting, standing, or walking short distances.

He got an MRI and met with doctors in Maryland to determine what was causing the pain. He was told he had degenerative changes in his spine and would possibly need a spinal fusion and laminectomy. Stephen didn’t want to have major surgery away from home, and he also wanted to finish serving the last several months of his church mission.

He researched his options and discovered an article about BYU students and professors that had developed a titanium device for use in spinal surgeries that offered increased post-surgical flexibility. This was appealing to Stephen because he wanted to stay active after surgery. After asking around for recommendations and researching the best spinal surgeons, Stephen found Dr. John Edwards, and called his office.

Since Stephen was still in Maryland, Dr. Edwards personally called him and asked to see has MRI. Upon examination, Dr. Edwards told Stephen he had a large synovial cyst compressing the right S1 nerve root. He did not need a fusion or laminectomy, but he did need to have the cyst removed. If Stephen could make it to Utah, Dr. Edwards could do the surgery to remove the cyst. Since the Christmas holiday was approaching, Stephen and his wife had a two-week leave when their midshipmen would be gone. They decided this would be the best time to come to Utah for the surgery.

December 23rd was surgery day for Stephen. His recovery took a few days, but his relief was immediate. Stephen was able to spend some time with his family in Utah, and then traveled back to Annapolis to continue missionary service. Within only a month’s time, Stephen was back in the gym, lifting weights, and riding the bike. He said the experience with Dr. Edwards “exceeded his expectations”.

Stephen was happy to return to the 60+ midshipmen they are responsible for serving. He needs to stay active with them to do everything he can to support them. He said that seeing Dr. John Edwards’s brother, Dr. Gary Edwards, about his knee pain is next on his list. We would love to have you back at Summit, Stephen!