A Father’s Wish Comes True Thanks to Danbury Hospital Spine Surgeons

When Kevin Shepard woke up from a 35-foot fall, he was lying in a streambed and couldn't move.

After falling from a tree and remembering how he couldn't move his legs, all he could think of was, "How am I going to be able to walk my daughters down the aisle?" Thinking about his wife and his daughters, he realized the first thing he needed was some help. Since he was lying in a stream and couldn't move his legs, he began yelling for help as loud as he could.

According to an article in the Patch, eventually he was found and a 911 call was placed to Brookfield Emergency Medical Services. When they arrived, he was stabilized and was very carefully carried out of the woods and rushed to Danbury Hospital's Emergency Department.

The news was not good. Kevin Shepard couldn't feel anything below his waist. How was he going to be able to walk both of his daughters down the aisle if he couldn't walk? His only chance was to have emergency spine surgery. It was 2:00 am on November 9, 2015, when the Chief of Spine Surgery at Danbury Hospital, Dr. David Kramer was called and immediately raced to the hospital.

The doctor had been told about Shepard's daughters and was able to relate because he had three daughters of his own. Because Brookfield EMS and Dr. Kramer's team had moved so quickly getting Kevin into surgery to decompress and stabilize his spine, the probability of Kevin walking his daughters down the aisle looked very good, according to Dr. Kramer.

On July 3, 2018, Kevin Shepard walked his daughter, Melissa down the aisle and then two months later did the same with his daughter, Jessica. When asked what most helped him get better so quickly, he responded:

Dr. Kramer's confidence that I would be able to walk again was the biggest motivation for me coupled with the loving support of my family and friends.