Dan Carusi

I am a Performance Improvement professional, a husband & father, outdoor enthusiast, and a Spinal Champion. I’m not living if I’m not climbing a mountain, paddling a river, or riding a horse so I was devastated when I injured my back. I was diagnosed with a L3/L4 herniated disc which significantly impacted by ability to be active and my quality of life. Over the course of ten years I tried every non-surgical treatment available, but the pain only became worse, and I began to lose hope. In the Spring of 2017, I underwent Microdiscectomy surgery to alleviate the pain and to stop the nerve damage down my left leg. My surgery was successful, and I immediately kicked off my #surgerytosummit project to resume my climbing and outdoor lifestyle. This was my motivation to complete the physical therapy and return to the mountains eleven weeks after surgery. Within four months post-surgery, I summitted the Grand Teton in Wyoming and was back in the saddle riding my horse. My experience taught me to never give up, not accepting pain as the new norm for your life, do your research & homework, and be your own biggest advocate so you can keep living versus surviving.