Dr. Barth Green

I am extremely grateful for Dr. Barth Green and his associates at the University of Miami Miller school of medicine for the work they did on my neck three weeks ago today. This is my second surgery with Dr. Green, I saw him in 2008 when my spinal cord needed untethering. Dr. Green is professor and chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery and specializes in the surgical management of complex spine and spinal cord injuries and disorders. He is also a great human being! He is courteous, genuine, engaging, and funny. Dr. Green takes time to explain every minute detail of a diagnosis or a possible surgical solution, and to answer any and all questions that patients might have for him. He pulls no punches. He will tell you if he thinks that surgery will improve the condition and will always remind you that surgery is not a guarantee. He has a great bedside manner and always greets you with a smile. When Dr. Green performs surgery on a patient he goes out of his way to meet with the family and update them personally when he is finished. He doesn't send someone else to do it.
He has dedicated himself to curing paralysis. He is co-founder of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the University of Miami’s Global Institute for Community Health and Development, (a university-wide program focused on improving health care and advancing community development in the Western Hemisphere.) Dr. Green also co-founded Shake-A-Leg Miami with Harry Horgan in 1990 after he recruited Harry to start a year-round program in Miami.
"In January, 2010, Dr. Green led the massive medical relief effort in Haiti after a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the Caribbean country, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and critically injured. Green was on the ground within 20 hours, and he soon inaugurated a field hospital, gathered supplies and brought together hundreds of doctors and nurses to provide life-saving medical treatment to nearly 30,000 injured Haitians and perform more than 1,500 emergency surgeries. It was his long relationship with Haiti through Project Medishare, which he co-founded in 1994, that made the rapid response possible." (University of Miami Miller school of medicine newsletter, April 21, 2011)
For his dedication to neurological science and his exemplary humanitarian efforts in Haiti over the past 20 years Dr. Green received was awarded the 2011 Humanitarian Award of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
Dr. Green has reached out to countless numbers of people who have sustained spinal cord injuries. Buffalo Bills reserve tight end Kevin Everett suffered a severe spinal-cord injury in the first game of the season in 2009. Dr. Green made the bold statement  that Everett would not only walk again, but would do so within a month and a half of sustaining the injury. Dr. Green is the physician who helped develop the "modest hypothermia" treatment that was administered to Everett in the tense moments after he was injured. It took about a month longer but Green's prediction came true!

I don't have enough blog space to list all of Dr. Green's recognitions and awards, so here is a small sample:

Dr. Green received the Florida Association of Nonprofit Organization’s prestigious Lawton’s Heart Humanitarian Award in 2010 for his lifetime devotion to humanitarian causes.

He also received the Jan Pfeiffer Distinguished Service Award which recognizes members of the community who have stood out in their commitment to community involvement and service.

My surgery was a success. He removed two cervical discs, decompressed the spinal nerves in my neck, and put in a new fusion (I summed up what he did very succinctly and in layman's terms.) Hopefully I will regain some of the fine motor function that had been deteriorating over the last few years due to the compressed nerves.

What I am happiest about is the scar left from the incision. Dr. Green must really like me because whoever stitched me up did a fantastic job! My biggest fear was that I was going to be left with a big ugly scar in the front of my neck (if you don't know me very well I can be vain at times!) I was stitched up with dissolvable stitches on the inside and the wound was glued shut on the outside. The other day the glue finally came off and it revealed the thinnest of lines about 2 to 3 inches long. You can barely notice it which makes me a very happy man! I can resume my modeling career!!!

In summary, Dr. Green is the best surgeon when it comes to spine and spinal cord issues and I will not let another surgeon touch me. The only fault that I can find with the man is that he is a Miami Heat basketball fan! Unfortunately they will never win a championship because Lebron James is on that team and karma will not allow it!