Matt McGirt, MD, of Concord, N.C.-based Carolina NeuroSurgery & Spine Associates, told a patient he may never walk again. Now, they are both training for Northern California's Napa Half Marathon, according to WSLS 10.
Here are five highlights:
1. Dr. McGirt met the long-distance runner in the Charlotte, N.C.-based Carolinas HealthCare Systems emergency room. The patient had suffered a broken back, pelvis, tailbone, leg and ribs when a car hit him on his bike.
2. Dr. McGirt called the patient's injuries "catastrophic." The surgery involved placing two titanium rods in the patient's spine.
3. Before surgery, the patient was still conscious and challenged Dr. McGirt to a half-marathon. The patient slowly recovered feeling and motion, and the two are now training for the half-marathon.
4. Dr. McGirt is now gearing up for the race. He told WSLS 10 he is not a runner and running nine miles "almost killed me."
5. Dr. McGirt completed his spine surgery fellowship at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins.