Joni’s Emergency Spine Surgery & Recovery Fund

On Wednesday, May 23, 2023, Joni Marie Bonney had emergency spine surgery at the Ascension Saint Thomas Spine Institute in Nashville, TN.

In 2020, Joni was diagnosed with a bulging disc in her L4/L5 lumbar spine. At the time, her disc was diagnosed as a 1/10 on the severity scale by her doctor. By the end of the year, her pain was so severe that Joni could no longer sit at a desk for extended periods. She sought help and was able to return to some normalcy for the next two years.

Earlier this year, the back pain came back strong. According to Joni’s doctor, her herniation accelerated from a 1/10 severity to a 10/10. Joni’s self-described pain levels also felt 10 times worse.

For those unfamiliar, disc herniation is caused by fluid leaking from the discs between your spinal joints. The fluid compresses your spine, resulting in severe back pain. A severe herniation qualifies as a distance of 7mm from the spine. Joni’s herniation was over 9mm at the time of her first 2023 MRI.

For Joni, this caused nerve pain down her left hip and leg, resulting in sharp pain and numbness down to her foot. It’s hard to understand this type of pain unless you’ve experienced it or have lived with someone who has. When it flares up, you can’t stand, you can’t walk, you can’t sit, you can’t lay down. It’s nearly impossible to sleep. You just keep switching positions, hoping to find one that keeps the pain from growing more severe.

After the new MRI in March, Joni worked with three different medical teams to address the herniation without surgery. Joni underwent physical therapy and scheduled an epidural injection to allow the disc to heal on its own. Unfortunately, the pain worsened. The doctors recommended that Joni stop physical therapy after a 4:00 AM visit to the ER in April.

By May, Joni decided to leave her role as a sales manager. This physically demanding role had her standing on a marble floor and climbing stairs over 9-hour shifts. Leaving would free up time to begin another healing plan with a new medical team. This past Tuesday, Joni was rushed to the ER again at 2:00 AM due to intense back pain, racing heartbeat, and high blood pressure.

The ER attached a heart monitor and sent Joni home by 6:00 AM. After another trip to her doctor that day, her rapid heartbeat and high blood pressure were still elevated. Joni returned to the ER that night and was admitted for an extended stay.

After blood work, heart tests, and new MRI imaging, Joni was told that her case was one of the most severe disc herniations the doctor had ever seen, especially in someone so young. Joni was scheduled for emergency spine surgery Wednesday morning. The herniated disc was removed along with the fluid that had been compressing her spine. The surgeon described the disc as “completely obliterated” within her body.

While the surgery was successful, Joni is showing signs of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, also known as POTS, and is being held in the hospital.

So far, Joni has spent 5 nights in the hospital with her fiancé Jamie and her mom Kim alternating nights in the hospital with her.

From Jamie:

Friends have reached out and asked how they can help us during this time. Joni will no longer have employer-provided health insurance after May due to stepping down from her role because of pain. She did explore the option for short-term disability, but did not qualify due to not meeting the tenure requirements within her company. We will be paying for 12 months of COBRA coverage for her to make sure any remaining problems can be addressed over the next year. In addition to paying for emergency spinal surgery, we will be billed for 3 ER visits this year, 3-5 urgent care visits this year, 5+ doctors visits, and 4 days post-op in the hospital. Joni also requires 3 at-home medical devices, she will need physical therapy, follow-up visits with her surgeon, follow-up visits with the cardiologist, and check-ins with a primary care physician. Most importantly, we have a wedding planned this fall that we are paying for and may now have to postpone.

Joni is the kindest soul I’ve ever known and would give the shirt off her back to a stranger in need. I have literally seen her try to give away her own tote bag to someone who looked like they were having trouble carrying their belongings. I have seen her stop and talk to people experiencing homelessness, just to make sure they feel connected. I have watched her stop and talk with elderly people at length, just in case they might be feeling lonely. She has continued to make others feel loved and wanted in this world throughout this entire experience. I want her to know that her community is looking out for her during this time as well.

We have both missed a lot of work in the last 3 years attempting to figure out how to help Joni get the care she needs to live a normal life. Hopefully, we can move out of this season for good as Joni continues to heal.

We do not have expectations for anyone to give, especially when money is stretched thin for many right now. Please know that this is simply an avenue for those who have asked how they can help. Sharing this page helps more than anything. We will post updates along the way.

We are eternally grateful to our friends at Nashville Chiropractic and the team at Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown Spine Institute team for all of their help. To our friends and family - we love you.