In early 2025, Kim Z., 62, of Latrobe, Pa., was living an active and full life.
She worked cleaning churches and caregiving for a nearby community member. She spent her free time with her family, including five grandchildren whom she loved chasing around. She baked cookies to share with everyone and loved trick-or-treating with her grandkids.
All that stopped when she began feeling a nagging pain throughout her back. Soon, her legs started to feel numb and lose feeling.
Kim went to her doctor and had an MRI done of her lower spine. She was diagnosed with a pinched nerve and was referred to physical therapy before being sent home.
As time continued, the pain worsened. Physical therapy aggravated the pain at times, and Kim had to give up her caregiving and cleaning jobs. She started using a walker to get around, then needed multiple people to help carry her out of the house.
“It was very depressing — my worst nightmare,” Kim says. “I had to give up everything. I had no life.”
Kim’s close-knit family tried to help her as much as they could. Her husband and two children shared caregiving responsibilities. Her middle daughter, Alyssa, became her main supporter. Alyssa helped Kim dress, shower, eat, and keep up with her physical therapy exercises.
From Pain to Emergency
Life continued this way for months until one Friday evening after therapy when Kim’s pain became a 10 out of 10. Kim knew she needed help, fast. Alyssa knew, too.
“I could tell she was in a lot of pain, and she wasn’t acting like herself,” Alyssa says. “It was hard to see my mom like that.”
Alyssa called an ambulance and requested that it take Kim all the way into the city of Pittsburgh — to UPMC Presbyterian.
At UPMC Presbyterian, Kim went in for x-rays, CT scans, and an MRI. That’s when spine surgeon Thomas James Buell, MD, entered the picture.
“The best doctor I’ve ever had,” Kim says.
Dr. Buell looked Kim in the eyes to deliver some shocking news. Her pain was being caused by a three-inch tumor compressing on the T8 and T9 vertebrae in her lower-mid back. The mass was causing the severe pain, numbness, and weakness.
“It was very scary, but I was just glad to know what it was,” Kim says.
Even though Kim was scared, Dr. Buell was confident.
“He told me, ‘I’m going to do everything I can to fix you,’ and I know he meant that,” she says. “I felt like God was present.”
A few days later, on Feb. 11, 2026, Kim was wheeled into surgery.
Over six hours, Dr. Buell performed a laminectomy and removed the mass compressing Kim’s spine with the help of neuroradiologist Vikas Agarwal, MD, who placed a fiducial marker to help Dr. Buell accurately target the tumor during surgery. A laminectomy removes the part of the vertebrae called the lamina to relieve pressure and swelling.
Recovering with Support
Alyssa and her sister Alexis sat their mom down to discuss her options: rehab at a nursing home or staying at UPMC Presbyterian longer and doing therapy there.
Kim spent a short time in the intensive care unit and on Unit 8D in UPMC Presbyterian. The nurses on that floor took excellent care of Kim and Alyssa. Alyssa stayed by Kim's side every moment she could, even sleeping on a hospital recliner for weeks.
“They were so accommodating to me, and they went above and beyond for us,” Alyssa says.
Little gestures of kindness from the nursing staff made a world of difference for Kim and Alyssa. The nurses ran to the kitchen to get a fresh grilled cheese sandwich or made them both coffee when Starbucks was closed.
“I couldn’t have asked for better nurses,” Kim says.
But Kim’s recovery journey didn’t end after surgery. She needed to undergo some rehabilitation to regain basic functions, such as walking and self-care.
Alyssa sat her down to discuss her options: rehab at a nursing home or staying at UPMC Presbyterian longer and doing therapy there. They both decided that Kim was better off staying put.
“Coming here for rehab was the best choice I could’ve made,” Kim says. “Amy (Macfarlane) and Trevor (Tofil) have been a huge part of my journey. They are wonderful therapists and have helped me and encouraged me every step of the way.”
Kim spent seven days a week in physical and occupational therapy. She practiced essential skills like sitting, standing, walking, taking a shower, and taking care of herself.
“At first, relearning these simple tasks was really frustrating,” she shares. “But as I started getting better at them, it got easier.”
After a few weeks of everyday rehab, Kim was finally discharged. She returned to the home she shares with her husband, daughters, grandchildren, and one on the way. While she still has months of rehab and recovery ahead of her, she’s delighted to be back home with her people.
“God is good,” she says with a smile.
Finding Strength Through Faith
Kim is grateful for her supportive family, compassionate care team, and God for helping her through this painful time in her life. But says she owes Dr. Buell the world.
“I told him he saved my life. And that before I leave this hospital, I’m going to give him a hug,” she recalls. “And he walked over to me, gave me a hug, and you could tell he was choked up.
"He’s just a very sweet man. Having him as my doctor is how I knew I was in God’s hands — that He was there for me. Everything went perfectly. I am so, so thankful.”
Kim’s family is happy to have her back, too. On her hospital whiteboard, they wrote her goal — "To get my life back and walk the path with my grandchildren."
Today, Kim’s thankful to be feeling less pain and be back with her family. She's ready to celebrate her sixth grandchild soon. With a little time, she’s sure she’ll be back to baking cookie trays.
Kim’s treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.
