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Marcelino survived two military tours of duty, but was severely injured in a motorcycle accident once he was back home in the U.S. He suffered multiple fractures, disc locations in his spine, a collapsed lung, and a traumatic brain injury.
For the last year and a half since the accident, he’s been in constant pain and confined to a wheelchair. Marcelino’s wife, Tisha, says he is also deeply depressed. “I was a strong man … this accident took away my freedom, my purpose, my passion,” Marcelino tells us.
Watch Drs. RX: Doing this May Decrease Your Pain
The Doctors send him to orthopedic surgeons Dr. Hyun Bae and Dr. Justin Saliman at the 90210 Surgery Center. Dr. Bae removes bone and cartilage fragments that are compressing Marcelino’s spinal cord, and Dr. Saliman repairs his rotator cuff.
Post-surgery, Marcelino’s walking freely and smiling again. “I feel amazing!” he says.
Watch: Minimally Invasive Procedure for Back Pain
Multiple injuries can be devastating to deal with, but Dr. Saliman has good news for sufferers: “If you’re ambitious and stick with it, you can get to the other end of it.”
“Pain medication masks pain, it doesn’t fix it,” adds Dr. Stork. And now Marcelino, for the first time since the accident, is off pain medication and feeling great.
