March 22, 2006
Dear Dr. Coufal:
This letter is long overdue, but I want to “thank you.” Thank you for saving my life. That may sound pretty basic to some, but to me it means that you used your knowledge and gifted skills to heal.
As you know, on October 9, 2005, I fell in my driveway and broke my neck. The break was so severe; you said you had never seen such a bad break that didn’t result in either death or the person being quadriplegic. Being nearly 79 years old, I was in a very serious situation.
Your performance during the 9-hour surgery was done with love, passion, gift, smarts, adrenalin and God’s hand. I mentioned that “I owe you”- you said you don’t work for me, you work for the Lord. Well, you certainly do. You use the gifts He gave you to the fullest extent, and I was one of the blessed recipients.
I am so grateful that you were called in to assess my condition; thankful that you took my case, and so very blessed that your hands are guided by God’s power. I am 100% healed and a walking testimonial to the skills that you possess.
All my best and my love,
Jim Stonhaus
If you are sitting in Dr. Coufal’s office reading this or happen to run across his name on the Internet in search of finding a reputable Neurosurgeon, your search has ended.
My story begins with a chance meeting with Dr. Coufal. I will try to keep my story short and to the point. I can tell you one thing, if it were not for Dr. Coufal I could be sitting in a wheelchair right now.
I began to have excruciating pain in my lower back that ran down the right leg to the foot and then the pain started to do the same on the left leg. This happened in about a two month span where I went from being a pain free, healthy, happy, person to a person I didn’t recognize that relied on medication to get me through each hour of the day. After taking a variety of medications for pain, the pain was still there. I can’t tell you how many pain pills, muscle relaxers, ibuprofen, steroids and pills to deaden the nerve endings I tried, all in hopes of alleviating the pain. I made a decision to request an MRI, as I could no longer stand the pain and the thought of being in a constant state of medication worried me as to what damage it may cause my organs.
The mystery and diagnoses of my back pain came to realization after that MRI. I remember being asked (while I was I the MRI machine) when I had back surgery. That was my first inclination that something was terribly wrong, as I never had back surgery. When they brought me out of the MRI machine I was greeted by the Radiologist, another not so good sign. The Radiologist informed me there was a mass growing within my spine and that this was holding my spine together, as it had consumed one or two vertebrae. The Radiologist also advised me that I was going to the Emergency Room immediately, because any wrong turn, slightest jolt or misstep would paralyze me.
On February 16, 2006, I will say I probably met Dr. Coufal in the ER; however, I don’t remember a lot after being admitted into the ER. I do remember (and this is no exaggeration) that when I was asked by staff as to who was gong to do my surgery and I told them Dr. Coufal, the response was always consistent. Every time the response would be positive and only good things were said such as what a great surgeon he is. I was admitted and was going to have surgery in three days but I did not know what Dr. Coufal was going to do or the extent of the surgery details.
The surgery day came and went, and I am going to skip a lot of details of being in the Intensive Care Unit because I just don’t remember much from those three days there. From what I was told, the surgery took almost nine hours and was very demanding and challenging on Dr. Coufal and all those involved. When I started to become aware of the outcome of the surgery and what it entailed, it truly amazed me that Dr. Coufal saved me from being paralyzed. I found out the mass was a rare Aneurysmal Bone Cyst, which was diagnosed days later as benign, and it’s not really known how or why it appeared.
I remember my husband telling me that he asked Dr. Coufal if he ever had a case involving an Aneurysmal Bone Cyst and he said yes one other. I also learned rods and screws were now in place to stabilize my lower back along with bone taken from my hip for a bone graft. It’s truly amazing what modern medicine can do, and in this case save me from the worst case scenario.
It’s been three months since the surgery. I will tell you it will and does take time to heal. I have some aches and pains, but they are from recovering from a very extensive surgery. These aches and pains are nothing compared to how I was before, and being pain free is worth every piece of hardware in me. At first it bothered me to see the hardware in my back (Radiology gave me a copy of all the MRI and CT scans), but I’ll take hardware over wheelchair any day.
I cannot begin to thank Dr. Coufal enough for saving my life. For anyone who has a chance to meet him, he leaves an impression. He’s very optimistic, encouraging, positive and very sure of his ability to perform a tough surgery. I think he said it was good to see a smile and color in my face and that I looked happy. I say that because when he first saw me in the ER, he said I had a grim look and my skin color was Grey because of the severe pain.
It feels good to be myself again; smiling, alive, happy, walking and mostly pain free from my body adjusting to thee hardware. It is truly amazing how Dr. Coufal gave me my life back, and for that I cannot thank him enough.
If anyone wishes to speak to me, please contact Dr. Coufal’s office.
JoeAnna Snowden
March 2006
Normally I would do heavy exercises; I enjoyed doing heavy job duties. Three years of my life was dedicated to giving courses on computer repair to other workers. In general, these employees had back injuries, and none of them wanted to do the operation they needed because of the possibilities of becoming paralyzed. I felt healthy until the day I could not get up from bed due to an intense pain in my left leg. The only way I felt comfortable was lying down. That day they took me to an orthopedic surgeon and traumatologist. They took x-rays and after reviewing the results they performed physical tests and gave me pain meds, and told me to follow up in one month. During the next couple of days the pain worsened, so I was referred to a neurologist who recommended an MRI Scan of my back. I tried to get up, but the intense pain would not let me. Finally paramedics had to go and take me to the El Centro ER. After taking an MRI, and having a neurologist, neurosurgeon, and a radiologist review them, they recommended the next step to be physical therapy. After the second day of physical the pain returned and I was unable to continue doing it. I was in a wheelchair, about to be only 50 years old, and three children needed to be taken care of. My neurologist commented to me that the surgery would be a major one and if I decided to go forward with that option I should find a spine specialist. I thank my neurologist who helped me understand and accept my problem. After a long investigation I came across the name Frank Coufal, a neurosurgeon with good experience and with, according to his curriculum vitae, a great interest in the spinal cord. I had spoken to other neurosurgeons and even went to appointments and cancelled some. When I called to Dr. Coufal’s office the first time, I spoke with the receptionist who treated me very pleasantly, and I felt she was very proud of her boss. I noticed that she admired him for how he was with his patients. I could sincerely say that this gave me the confidence and assurance that I was calling the right place. When I saw the doctor he asked me to explain my situation, and then performed several physical tests. He explained I had a herniated disc and a cyst that was putting pressure on a nerve, what I should do, along with all the other details of the recommended surgery. I asked him if this was a common procedure and he answered “this is a common surgery for me”. One day after the surgery a physical therapist got me out of bed and had me walk. They discharged me from the hospital after four days. The team of nurses, therapists, anesthesiologist, and general personnel of Scripps Hospital in La Jolla treated me with excellent service and were well organized. My therapist in El Centro was very shocked because this was the first case in which one of his patients after a fusion had no pain doing the therapy. It’s been 3 months since my surgery and I have been back to work for 3 weeks. I feel so healthy that I made a bet with my daughter that I would race her on Christmas. I think that behind every successful surgery is a good specialist and a trustful, professional staff. Dr. Coufal has it.
Jose Dennis
As the reality of what happened to me slowly starts to sink in, I can’t help but know that my life was spared because of Dr. Coufal. Throughout the course of my injury and recovery, there were several instances when I can remember being truly panicked: first, when I got to the hospital and was told not to move; second, when my neck felt so fragile after the surgery; third, when I was told to move my neck again after my brace came off; and finally, when my thoughts would wander onto the idea of never being able to move again. When I was first told that I would not be returning home from the ER the night of my injury, I experienced the first of several scary moments. The next would be when Dr. Coufal told me that surgery would be necessary if I wanted to move again. When Dr. Coufal was explaining the procedure, I must admit that I zoned out and focused solely on not moving any part of my body for fear that moving an inch might cause me permanent paralysis. My parents, however, were the ones asking question after question and it was Dr. Coufal who put my family at ease. He was always calm, patient, and understanding as my family continued to ask questions, trying to understand what was going to happen.
Dr. Coufal, being so humble, would never boast that he is responsible for my being able to live a normal life, but without him it would not be possible for me to even type this. He is the reason that I am still able to walk and move freely. Even now, I sometimes forget that I have broken my neck because Dr. Coufal left such minimal evidence that my injury even occurred. Dr. Coufal not only took care of me, but my whole family and it is hard to put into words how much he means to all of us. I remember the day when Dr. Coufal told me that I was 100 percent better and that this would be my last appointment with him. My heart sank because it is hard to imagine not seeing the person who gave me back my life and a future without any limitations.
Katy Boyd
June 4, 2000
I was involved in a devastating car accident in which I was thrown from our conversion van at 70 miles an hour. My body crashed into a concrete barrier over a highway bridge. As a result, I sustained a serious cervical dislocation rendering my body quadriplegic with a complete spinal cord injury. Neurosurgeon, Dr. Frank Coufal fused my neck from C4-C7, and broke the traumatic news that I would spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair.
My entire team of doctors, including Dr. Coufal, was amazed to watch my recovery. It seemed like a lifetime, but gradually over the next year and a half, I regained the ability to walk again WITHOUT assistance.
Today I walk with a limp and struggle with decreased hand function, as well as stiff and sore muscles, but I have regained my independence to care for myself and my family. I am also able to travel the country for a living with my husband to share my story through our music ministry and instill hope in others who suffer.
Dr. Coufal's incredible care and compassion through this tragic event in my life has indeed been a blessing beyond words! Although he has moved from Kansas City, I will continue to seek his expertise with my injury and highly recommend him!
Pam Morgan
April 5, 2006
Dear Dr. Coufal:
Could you please share this with your staff and colleagues at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. As you know, I had broken my neck and dislocated my shoulder while surfing on November 13, 2005. My plans were to surf that morning and then meet up with family and friends to celebrate my 50th birthday. Instead, I had the fortunate opportunity, under stressful circumstances, to meet you.
You and your colleagues spent 7 ½ hours in the operating room doing neck surgery on me, rebuilding the 6th ad 7th vertebrae. Then I spent five days in Scripps Memorial Hospital recovering and having numerous people and professionals watching over me.
This not normally the type of surgery you would do without checking and or researching credentials. I was very lucky to have you on the Trauma Staff at the time of my accident. I am going to say that somebody was watching over me. Everybody in your staff, along with all the nurses and employees of the hospital, were great.
I would highly recommend you and your staff to any individual that is requiring neurological surgery. I take a lot of comfort in knowing that I am still doing the things I pretty much like to do. I owe this to you.
I will always remember my 50th birthday, and I am very happy to have met you. You saved my life.
Thanks for everything.
Terrill (Terry) Gibson
11/1/2008
I woke up one day feeling dizzy and nauseous. I had never experienced symptoms like this before, and thought it might be the flu or food poisoning. I we: told that is was probably vertigo, arid that it should go away soon. Instead, the symptoms worsened to the point where 1 could not move my head without getting dizzy and feeling like I wanted to throw up. My family doctor sent me in for an MRI exam.
You can imagine my shock and horror when I got a call an hour after my MRI from my doctor telling me that the radiologist ''found something'' on the MRI, and that I needed to see a neurosurgeon right away.
Fortunately for me, my doctor knew Dr. Coufal, and got me an appointment that same day. Dr. Coufal showed the films to my and my fiance and explained that I had a tumor or cyst in the cerebellum section of my brain, and that he wanted to operate as soon as possible. As scared as I was, I was also relieved to finally know what had been ailing me. I was also relieved (as was my fiance) after Dr. Coufal patiently explained the procedure and told me what to expect. He said after the surgery I would experience immediate relief from my symptoms. He also told us not to postpone our wedding which was only three months away! Dr. Coufal's confidence professionalism and caring gave us both the sense we wire in great hands.
Later that evening I was admitted into intensive care to await surgery. Dr. Coufal's office did a fabulous job scheduling and coordinating my surgery for the very next evening. It was no small task, first to End a bed for me in ICU that night, and second to schedule a surgery on a Friday evening before a long holiday weekend. I am very grateful for their hard work in making that happen. My discomfort seemed to be worsening by the hour.
The surgery took place as scheduled on Friday night and lasted for over 4 hours, I woke up early Saturday morning to my fiance and family smiling at me. Dr. Coufal was there as well to tell me the surgery was a success. I was later told that Dr. Coufal took the time after surgery while I was still sleeping to sit with my family and answer their questions. The time he spent with my family went a long way to putting them at ease.
The abnormality in my brain ended up to be a benign cyst. The continued growth of the cyst was the cause of my worsening symptoms. With the cyst removed, I felt remarkably better.
Within about two months following surgery, I was 100% recovered. I can't tell you how thankful I am to Dr. Coufal ad his team for taking such good care of me. When my wife and I look back and talk about the whole experience, we remind ourselves how blessed we were to have had such an exceptional doctor. Dr. Coufal is truly one of a kind.
Stephen LaSala
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