Post Operation

Junior Christopher Perez at Palisade High School is making a recovery after getting a spinal surgery to help correct his back pain and spinal posture. Perez came into this world a little bit differently than others. Chris was born with dwarfism, a condition of short stature. Although not all people that are affected by this don’t need surgery, Perez was suffering from back problems and back pain. This limited the amount of time that Perez could stand or walk. Before getting his surgery Perez was told by his doctors that there was a risk that Perez could face complications in the recovery phase. Those complications are either taking a little bit longer to recover functionality in the legs or he could be left paralyzed. After knowing and considering the risks, Perez and his family decided to go through the surgery. On the 21st, Perez went under the surgeon’s scalpel and had a successful spine removal surgery. After interviewing Perez about his feelings before the surgery he said, “I felt fine. I knew there were risks and everything but I needed this surgery so I went for it.” This shows Perez knew what could have happened but still chose to undergo the operation. After waking up Perez experienced paralysis in his lower body and has stuck to the bed for a long time. Because of this Perez has had to stay longer at the hospital to finish recovering and making sure his spine is fully healed. As of now Perez is going through physical therapy to help recuperate his motor functions in his legs and learning how to walk again. Perez says, “I’m grateful that my spine is now straight and that I have the support that has helped me through this healing process”. This demonstrates how thankful Perez is for having everyone support him during a time where he needed it most. Perez was unaware of the tribute that Mr. Steele had planned for him at the winter pep rally at PHS. Chris said, “The assembly was nice. It gave me more motivation and it showed me how much the school cares about me”. This quote shows how much this meant to Perez. Knowing that we here back at PHS still miss Perez and hope that he makes a full recovery. Perez expects to be back in school next semester and we are all waiting for him. We miss you Chris and we hope you get better.