Message from Nick

Recovery from an assault....neck surgery, and a torn hamstring tendon

You may have noticed that I haven't been active the last couple of months. I was assaulted on June 11th by my ex-wife's husband (by all indications, she's Cluster B personality disordered). I had emergency surgery two days later to fuse three vertebrae. During the assault, I also suffered a complete tear of a hamstring tendon away from my hip bone. Unfortunately, the tendon injury was not handled well by the hospital, the referred surgeon, the MRI imaging company, etc......and too much time passed to repair the tendon.

I was told after about a year of recovery that they "hoped" to get me back tot 60% functioning with the leg/hamstring injury. I was also told by one spine surgeon that I would not continue to live the very physical lifestyle in my personal life, that I also incorporate into all of my session with my client (hiking, playing catch, working out in the gym, etc).

I refused to accept these prognoses. I was back in the gym 4 1/2 days after surgery, and back working with client's a week and a half after surgery. My second day back to work, I walked a total of ten miles with three clients with what at that time I believed was a pulled/torn hamstring...which turned out to be a completely torn tendon.

Over the last two months I have thrown myself into and attacked the rehab/physical therapy (2+ hours per day). I am at least a month or two ahead of schedule for both the neck surgery, and the leg injury. Six weeks out, I started jogging.....and am literally in better shape less than two months after the injuries/surgery than I was before....and I was someone who worked out religiously before the injuries./surgery. I view this experience as a gift because it has allowed me in real time to "walk the talk", and to model the philosophies that I teach to both my clients.....and to my daughter: Resilience; Perseverance; Mental toughness; Refusal to succumb to adversity/trauma, etc.

In 2010, I experienced two Traumatic Brain Injuries.....eight months apart. I've had the unusual experience of functioning at a higher level in some areas after the brain injuries....than I did before the injuries. I am determined to have the same experience after these injuries.

I talk about many of these experiences/philosophies here: