Judith Lyons turned 81 this year, but her quality of life decreased severely after taking care of her husband during his illness and from her worsening scoliosis.

At first Judith felt concerned about all the risks of complications that came with spine surgery, but with the support of her home community she decided to go through with getting the surgery.

“People that are elderly like myself need to not worry about your age,” Judith said. “You just to have it in your mind and in your heart that you want to succeed.”

Judith’s curve effected her ability to look at people in the eyes and she took many medications for her pain. Her pain management doctor referred her to Dr. Hey.

Her friend Ronnie offered to watch her dog while she recovered. Her community tried to put any anxieties to rest.

“Judith’s a different person than she was…because she’s no longer in all that pain,” Ronnie said. “So her quality of life is just off the chart.”

Judith said that after her surgery the people around town gave her the name of “miracle child” because of her physically and mentally transformation.

“I put my life in [Dr. Hey’s] hands and he gave me a brand new one and I love him dearly for that,” Judith