Vickie F., 72, of Altoona, Pa., loves helping people. Her previous jobs include helping head trauma survivors and people with disabilities become independent as a caseworker, teaching first grade, and working in a nursing home with Alzheimer's patients.
Even after she retired early, Vickie continued to share her love for helping others through her church community and the personal care facility she and her sister adopted after their mother's death in memory of her.
But throughout her life, Vickie has also dealt with chronic pain.
At 14, she jumped off the high dive. Another swimmer jumped too early — landing on Vickie’s head and neck, fracturing her cervical spine from C3 to C7.
Vickie didn’t know her back had fractured until another injury at 40 brought her into the emergency room with cervical spine pain.
“All those years, my back was never right, and I suffered from chronic headaches, too,” Vickie says. “Many times, I was told by doctors that there was nothing wrong with me and I was making it up.”
Over the years, Vickie developed spinal stenosis, a condition where the narrowing of the spinal canal compresses nerves and the spinal cord, causing pain, mobility changes, and other debilitating symptoms.
She was also diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, a form of arthritis that causes the joints of the spine to wear down over time. Her mother and grandmother had also suffered from the disease.
Then, in winter 2024, new symptoms began. Intense, short bursts of muscle spasms in her lower back would send her writhing on the ground.
“One time, I was sitting in a rocking chair when the spasm began, and it jolted me out of the chair,” Vickie remembers.
By summertime, Vickie’s husband, Dave, was pushing her in a wheelchair. It was becoming hard for her to function at all.
“It was even affecting my thinking process,” she says.
That’s when Vickie’s family doctor referred her to spine surgeon Kathryn S. Hoes, MD, in Wexford, Pa., after hearing multiple positive experiences from other patients.
An Encouraging Meeting with a Spine Surgeon
Upon meeting Dr. Hoes, Vickie immediately felt a calming presence come over her.
“She is so intelligent, so humble and kind,” Vickie says. “She is very unassuming and not egotistical at all — she really takes the time to explain everything to you.”
Dr. Hoes took x-rays of Vickie’s spine and listened to her history of chronic pain and health conditions.
Since Vickie also has osteoporosis — a bone disease that weakens bone density — Dr. Hoes helped to coordinate specialty osteoporosis care. She was prescribed Fosamax (alendronate), a medication that is used to increase bone density and reduce the risk of fractures. Dr. Hoes wanted Vickie to strengthen her bones before surgery became an option.
Dr. Hoes was hoping Vickie could be on Fosamax for several months before surgery. However, Vickie's pain was so debilitating that they changed plans. Vickie went in for spinal stenosis surgery on Aug. 9, 2024, at UPMC Passavant–McCandless.
Dr. Hoes performed a decompressive laminectomy, relieving pressure on Vickie's spinal cord by removing the bony arch of a vertebra. She also performed medial facetectomies and foraminotomies. These procedures also relieve spinal cord pressure by removing joints or parts of spinal bones. To stabilize the spine, meaning to hold improved alignment, Vickie had a fusion with screws and rods done in this same surgery.
A Life-Changing Day: Surgery
On the day of surgery, Vickie noticed everyone on her care team was young and vibrant. Surgery lasted six hours and included the implementation of two rods and four screws on her L4-L5 vertebrae as well as numerous bone fragments.
For the day and a half after surgery, Vickie recovered in her hospital room overlooking the shiny gold dome of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church across the street, which she said was a sign that God heard the prayers that were being said for her. Upon waking, she noticed an absence of her lower back pain.
Upon leaving the hospital, she didn’t even need a cane. She was fully walking on her own less than two days after spinal surgery.
“It was like I just got my life back," she says, "and the credit goes to God and to Dr. Hoes."
Recovering at Home and Regaining Mobility
Once Vickie got home, her postoperative recovery began. While she wasn’t prescribed any physical therapy initially, she did have to wear a back brace all day for several months.
“It wasn’t bad or uncomfortable,” Vickie recalls. “In fact, I didn’t mind wearing it because it reminded me to be careful and not to lift, twist, or bend.”
Vickie also chose to do bone stimulation treatment for nine months on Dr. Hoes' recommendation, which her insurance didn’t cover. Bone stimulators are devices with an electric or magnetic current that are attached externally or surgically implanted to promote bone growth using ultrasonic and electromagnetic waves.
For Vickie, this alternative therapy was well worth the $1,500 out-of-pocket investment.
“Even though I couldn’t feel it working, I would do it again,” Vickie says. “I would do anything to make my surgery successful.”
In August 2025, Vickie returned to Dr. Hoes' office for her one-year post-op appointment. Vickie reported no pain, and Dr. Hoes reported her surgery as a success.
“She reminded me that she’s only a phone call away, and that she’s here for me to help with my neck, as well,” adds Vickie.
Vicki’s cervical spine pain continues to bother her, but surgery is risky for her. She’s hoping she can continue putting up with it or find alternative therapies that Dr. Hoes trusts.
“She did such an amazing job,” Vickie says. “It was a very positive experience considering it was major back surgery. I would highly recommend Dr. Hoes for anyone needing back surgery — you'll love her.”
Enjoying the Next Chapter of Life
Today, Vickie doesn’t take her mobility for granted.
She’s back to walking the logging trails around her property with her husband and participating in her church community. Plus, she’s able to fulfill her favorite role with gusto again — grandma. Babysitting her toddler grandkids and following her teen grandkids’ lives continue to be a huge blessing in her life.
Looking back, Vickie says the attentive care from Dr. Hoes and her staff bolstered her confidence in performing activities of daily living and helped give her a positive outlook during her recovery.
“Everyone in her office was so nice to deal with; they were like a lifeline,” Vickie says. “When you’re in pain and panicking, the last thing you want is some incompetent person on the other end. Her team was fantastic — quick to call back, answer my questions, and instill confidence in them and myself.
“I’ve always wanted to help people and fix situations myself,” Vickie adds. “That has never changed, even after injuries and medical issues have slowed me down.”
Part of Vickie’s mission to help others today is by sharing Dr. Hoes' information with others. She keeps a pamphlet of Dr. Hoes' information with her. She has passed on the surgeon's contact information and a glowing referral to almost a dozen people.
“When I became so incapacitated that I could barely do anything and was in constant pain, Dr. Hoes entered my life and helped fix me,” she says. “I will forever be grateful to her and her team. She has certainly changed my life and made it worth living again.”
Vickie's treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.
