Story Photos
 Therapist assistant Clint Parham of Longview Physical and Sports Therapy gets ready to place an exercise ball under Mike New's legs. Roger Werth / The Daily News
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Former firefighter Mike New is blazing a path toward recovery
Thursday, January 17, 2008 6:40 AM PST
By Leslie Slape
The Daily News
Printable version
E-mail this articleYou could say Mike New feels like a new man.
When The Daily News profiled the former Longview firefighter in December, he was nearly bedridden from a barrage of back operations that began in October. He carried only 160 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame.
A short interview visibly exhausted him.
Sometimes when he was lying down, he couldn't get up.
"I felt like a turtle on my back," he said Wednesday.
Now he's about 12 or 13 pounds heavier, can do short workouts on the treadmill and stationary bicycle, and - best of all - is able to drive a car again.
"That was like getting your driver's license for the first time," he said, laughing. "Just having a little bit of independence is startling."
Since last week, he's been driving himself to physical therapy sessions at Longview Physical and Sports Therapy on Ninth Avenue.
"I'm getting things going I haven't used in a while," New, 42, said as he lay on an exercise table Wednesday doing warmups.
All his exercises are designed to increase his endurance, his therapists said.
Therapist assistant Clint Parham placed an exercise ball under New's legs. New tightened his abdominal muscles as he rolled the ball in and out.
"How are you feeling?" Parham asked after a few reps.
"Shaky," New admitted.
New, who was a firefighter or 15 years, led an active life before a bulging disk led to fusion surgery in 2005. He hiked, mountain-biked and climbed mountains.
"I let Brian Mahon lead me around," he said, referring to a friend who in 1998 climbed three mountains in 30 hours. One morning Mahon picked him up at 5 a.m. and they went to Mount St. Helens.
"We walked around Mount St. Helens in one day," said New, who later learned hikers are advised to take four days to do that much. "It was fun."
After he officially retired from the fire department in 2006, he and his wife, Annie, started a mobile tool business, but the back problems returned and his legs began to go numb. He learned the back fusion surgery was unsuccessful. As surgeons were removing the broken hardware in October, his dural sac was cut accidentally and his spinal fluid leaked out. He underwent several more operations to redo the fusion surgery, install a series of shunts and put a blood filter in his leg to catch clots.
"There for a while I was having a tough time," New said. "I was fighting off a fever and had a little bit of infection. The swelling kept coming back."
The News, who have two sons, were depressed and anxious about the future. With no income, they faced foreclosure on their house.
After a Daily News story ran in early December, the News were overwhelmed with an outpouring of love from the community.
"It certainly gave new meaning to the holidays," New said. "To have people just say they care, and we're in their thoughts and prayers, made it one of the best holidays I've had in a long time."
The family is also grateful to the people who donated money to help them out, he said.
He said doctors have waived some of the bills that racked up before his Labor & Industries claim was reopened, and their lender has set up a payment plan so they won't lose their house. He's talking with a potential buyer for the tool business.
Annie made a list of more than 30 families, businesspeople and individuals who dropped by to see them.
"It certainly was an eye-opener, knowing what people think of you and that they care for you when you're really feeling alone," he said.
As New moved on to the exercise bike, therapist Nathan Swanson said, "Our big thing is to really make sure the fusion sets this time, so he can get back to some form of normal function."
After six weeks of physical therapy, a doctor will check his progress and put him back in therapy if necessary. When he's strong enough, he'll have two more operations to remove the shunt and the blood filter.
On his first day of therapy, New spent only five minutes on the exercise bike and five on the Stairmaster, Swanson said. Wednesday, New spent eight minutes on the exercise bike, three minutes on the Stairmaster and five minutes on an arm bike. He said his knees were shaking and his stomach hurt after the workout, but he was smiling.
"I've run my marathon today."
Read the original story here: http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/12/07/top_story/doc4758fb49a8899708139889.txt
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