Last month, Melissa Gilbert underwent a neck surgery at DISC to repair her failed spinal fusion. In a lengthy procedure, Dr. Bray and Dr. Shifflett cleaned up the failed fusion site and utilized an artificial disc to mend the actress’s spine. Just a week after her surgery, Melissa wrote in an Instagram post “…it is clear that this surgery for me has been a life altering experience.”
In a different Instagram post, Melissa wrote, “Surgery was wildly successful! Dr Bray was able to remove all the old hardware, shave off bone spurs causing numbness in my right hand and, and, and, he was able to give me the artificial disc!!!”
Melissa’s recent procedure at DISC continues to be widely covered throughout the media. Fox News wrote an article about her experience at DISC. A recent People Magazine feature quoted Dr. Bray extensively: “The entire procedure took about 2 hours, was done entirely under a Zeiss microscope with only a teaspoon of blood loss and I was able to cosmetically revise her scar. In the immediate post-op, she's doing very well and we are very hopeful this will return her to a more functional neck, reduce her pain tremendously and prevent further discs from degeneration... Melissa is a great woman who has contributed so much to so many. It's great to see her on the path to recovery. She's had a tough few years.”
Another People Magazine article provided context about Melissa’s long history of neck and spine issues. “First, she suffered whiplash and a concussion after a fall on Dancing with the Stars in April, and months later the balcony of a house she was renting in Studio City, California, collapsed over her head.” Melissa recently discussed her recovery with Good Morning America.
The Little House on the Prairie star shares a long history with Dr. Bray and DISC. While Dr. Bray had no part in Melissa’s failed fusion procedure, he has operated on the actress before. As Melissa explained, “I’ve had many surgeries with Dr. Bray. I broke my back in 2010 and he repaired it.”
DISC is happy to hear Melissa is doing so well after her surgery. As she told People Magazine, "I feel great. It's kind of remarkable. Well, no, it is actually truly remarkable that just five days after this really intense surgery, I'm feeling great."