In June of 2008, while serving my 1st tour in Afghanistan, I sustained a lower back injury from an IED while pulling security on the rear of our convoy. My face smashed I to the back of my .50 cal and my back smashed into the turret (between lower back pad and armor plate. The pain was excruciating, and over the next 15 years and a few more tours through Afghanistan and HOA, I managed to keep the pain in check by consistently working out. Fast forward to March of 2024 while moving an air mattress from my upstairs to the basement, so all my little humans could sleep together, I slipped down the stairs and landed on the exact spot of my back that put me down in 2008. I went to the VA, and they recommended I go see a specialist. I went to my PCM and was referred to Dr. Jeffery Goldstein, he is an awesome doctor and helped me get into physical therapy to help correct this long overdue issue. I chose the Lynbrook location as it is along the path home from work. I was assigned to PT Stephanie Edwards and PTA Taylor Simeone (I think that's the letter combination, could be wrong, probably am wrong, but I tried). They have been a major help with loosening my back, and helping me get back into the gym. Not gonna lie, I still have bad days, where I don't want to move at all due to the intense spasms. Steph and Taylor have demonstrated time and again through their expertise and compassion that they truly want to improve the quality of life for patients. I want to thank the leadership at Orlin and Cohen for providing me with (in my opinion) the best duo team to help tackle this injury I have dealt with for far too long. I have been down in some dark times mentally, thinking I would never be able to function normally again, but with these two amazing people in my corner, I fully believe one day I will be pain free again. I’ll stop with all of the praising now, but sincerely thank you to both Stephanie and Taylor for helping me overcome this injury and looking forward to pain free days in the future.