HUDSON, Fla. – A man who was left paralyzed and wheelchair-bound after a hunting accident says that two surgical procedures by Dr. Alfred Bonati allowed him to regain the use of his legs and live normally, despite other doctors saying he would never walk again.

In November of 2015, Jeff Delrie of Louisiana, then 58, found himself paralyzed after falling from a tree while attempting to put up a deer stand. He fell directly onto his head during the incident, crushing several vertebrae and pinching his spinal cord.

After eight hours of lying in agony, he was rescued from the woods and taken to an area hospital, where he was told he would never walk again. Doctors also wanted to amputate his right arm, which was crushed in the accident.

After two weeks at that hospital, he was transferred to a different hospital in New Orleans, where doctors, surgeons and other healthcare professionals came to the same conclusion.

For six more weeks, he made no progress.

That’s when Delrie sought the help of Dr. Bonati, whom he had seen years earlier for chronic pain in his right arm (the same right arm that doctors later wanted to amputate after the hunting accident) that left him unable to lift anything. After his first surgery by Dr. Bonati, Delrie regained full use of his arm.

“It was just like flipping a switch,” Delrie said of that surgery. “The pain went away instantly.”

Delrie returned to the Bonati Spine Institute in March of 2016, where he underwent a first surgery that allowed him to regain the use of his legs.

“After curing a man who was told over and over that he would never walk again, Dr. Bonati and his assistants shed tears in the operating room,” said Kimberly Bonati, senior vice president of media and communications for Bonati Spine Institute. “When Jeff began to move his legs, he kicked over a medical tray from the operating table. Dr. Bonati knew his mobility was back, and he was never happier to clean up a mess.”

Six days later, Jeff stood up for the first time since his accident, and Dr. Bonati deemed him ready for a second surgery to help him regain the use of his arms and hands.

The next day, that surgery was completed, and it worked too.

“It was miraculous. Everyone else, every other doctor I talked to in the medical world was convinced that I would never walk again,” Delrie said. They said I was destined to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and in bed. My last chance was to contact Dr. Bonati. He gave me hope.”

Jeff is now 67, and though he still requires physical and occupational therapy, he lives a normal life.

He said that last Christmas, he was able to lay on the ground and play with his baby granddaughter. He stood up off the ground without assistance, yet another milestone in his recovery that other doctors said he would never each.

He still goes hunting, too.

“As a matter of fact, I killed a deer two years ago,” he said. “My son-in-law took me hunting. I’ve still got my eye for shooting.”

About The Bonati Spine Institute:

For nearly 40 years, The Bonati Spine Institute, led by Dr. Alfred O. Bonati, has provided world class surgical treatment to patients suffering from spine pain. Dr. Bonati and his team of highly trained specialists have successfully performed nearly 80,000 patented procedures, helping patients with spine pathologies. While the Bonati Spine Institute is located in the Tampa Bay area, patients from all over the world have sought Dr. Bonati’s care, often after other doctors tried and failed to relieve their pain. Of those patients seen, 65 percent have had a history of failed back surgery prior to coming to the Bonati Spine Institute. The Bonati Spine Institute has received a patient-reported satisfaction rate of higher than 98 percent.

***Before and after photos of Jeff Delrie can be found by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlBjr7qD4x4***

Jeff Delrie is available for interviews with the media. Please contact Peter D’Abrosca at 720.639.0066 or peter.dabrosca@judgepr.com to schedule an interview.