WAUKESHA, Wis. — A Wisconsin Navy veteran has a new lease on life after spending at least 13 years of his life limited by a painful injury.
“I never thought I would be able to stand here for a couple of hours, making recipes, and being able to cut, chop and mince vegetables,” said 38-year-old James Brody.
What You Need To Know
- James Brody suffered an injury while enlisted in the Navy and dealt with chronic pain for over a decade
- Dr. Kartik Kesavabhotla recommended a state-of-the-art surgery to fuse three of his spinal vertebrae together to better stabilize his neck
- Brody is now able to pursue the career he always wanted but couldn’t do because of his neck injury
- Brody is living pain free, and has new hope for the future, thanks to the partnership he found with doctor Kesavabhotla, who worked to get to the bottom of the problem
Brody was an active member of the military for 10 years. He deployed overseas three times and has visited dozens of countries.
During his service, he injured his shoulder and neck. It was initially diagnosed as tendonitis, but the pain grew worse. It caused him to often lose feeling on one side of his body if he moved his neck the wrong way. The injury limited his ability to work certain jobs and prevented him from doing many activities he enjoys.
He went to various doctors over the years, but none of them really got to the root of the problem or provided a long-term solution. That is until he met Dr. Kartik Kesavabhotla, a neurosurgeon at Aurora St. Lukes.
“I just feel very honored to be a part of his story,” Kesavabhotla said.
Kesavabhotla recommended a state-of-the-art surgery to fuse three of his spinal vertebrae together to better stabilize his neck. It’s been 10 months since the procedure, and they are both impressed with the result.
“His results have been remarkable, better than I could have expected,” Kesavabhotla said.
Brody is now able to pursue the career he always wanted but couldn’t do because of his neck injury. He is studying to become a chef and working in a kitchen. He just finished his first semester at Waukesha County Technical College.
“This has been life-changing,” he said. “I feel like I am myself. More myself than I have ever been before. I feel like I could basically take on the world right now.”
Brody is living pain free, and has new hope for the future, thanks to the partnership he found with Kesavabhotla, who worked to get to the bottom of the problem.