HOUSTON, TX – A prominent spine surgeon in Houston has reached a significant milestone! In 2019, he was severely injured in a bicycle accident at Memorial Park. It broke his back and cracked his helmet. He was not allowed to move his arms or legs again.
However, he has worked tirelessly to change his fate and succeeded! He can now move his arms with a lot of determination and concentration.
We’ll get to how that happened in a minute. But first, let’s talk about Dr. Marco’s life mission. For several decades, he served as an oncologist and spine surgeon in Houston, becoming well-known worldwide for helping scoliosis patients transform their curved spines and helping patients with complicated tumors around their spines.
When he wasn’t saving or improving people’s lives, the father of three grown sons was busy supporting their childhood hobbies, such as baseball and snow skiing. He’d do anything to wrap his loving arms around his fourth child right now. Because he can’t feel his arms or legs, he has to balance himself on his lap.
Dr. Marco’s positive attitude and hard work have paid off, so let’s look at how that achievement occurred. It happened only a few months ago, after witnessing the success of his friend Alan Brown. Alan can move and use his hands for the first time in 34 years, thanks to a clinical trial involving a new spinal cord stimulator. Maggie describes it and how it works.
“We collaborated with a Swiss company called Onward, which conducted a clinical trial in the United States with 65 participants. Transcutaneous epidural stimulators are stimulators that are placed on the skin and send signals to the spinal cord, “Maggie says
Rex says it’s incredible to see the difference in Alan, and he didn’t even need surgery!
“He was able to grasp a jug of water and drink from it, and it’s amazing,” Dr. Marco exclaims.
It gave Dr. Marco so much hope that he could move his own hands for the first time in three years, but not with the assistance of the stimulator. He did it by using his mind over matter.
“I tried it, and I could feel my muscles contracting, causing my wrist to rise. I could feel them shifting, “Dr. Marco explains.
He did it with tenacity and determination. Making something takes a lot of work, but he hopes it will improve and he will become stronger. Dr. Marco tries to keep his overall body moving as much as physically possible to keep him positive on difficult days.
“Christopher inspired me a lot because he talks about how much he exercises to keep his heart and muscles strong. How, when a cure is find. That his bones and joints ready to stand, walk, and move as he could before. His words give me hope because it takes me about an hour and a half to get ready to exercise for 30 to 60 minutes. I used to get out of bed and walk to a yoga studio, “Dr. Marco says
Absolutely incredible!!! I’m so grateful to call Dr. Rex Marco my friend! He was able to move his hand!!! Rex has is also a major part of the @MarAnon_Groups recovery community, where he leads meditation classes!
Go, Rex, Go! What an inspiration! https://t.co/pWnKMopFWy— Aubree Adams (@AubreeAdams4) November 3, 2022
He also believes that the dream of finding a cure for spinal cord injuries is no longer impossible but somewhat inevitable. That treatment may look different than you might expect.
“We used to say ‘the cure,’ and the cure meant standing, stepping, and walking, but now we see things differently. Stepping is not the only cause of spinal cord injury. It’s about blood pressure, temperature control, bowel, bladder, sexual control, and everything else.
One of them can cured. Each of these is a treatment and a cure. So we’re now discussing treatments in the plural, “Maggie claims. She believes we are on the verge of enormous advances, with spinal cord therapy potentially becoming available next year.
Dr. Marco is still active in the medical field and works as a Clinician, Investigator, and Teacher for Houston Methodist Hospital. He continues to help others with spinal issues who can now relate to him better than ever.