Thank you! The recovery was due to luck, three very good orthopedic surgeons, and stubbornness. In the case of a massive spinal injury, pressure on the nerve has to be relieved within a short time, about 15 hours, if I recall correctly. They started cutting at 16 hours, and two of the three didn't expect me to walk again. Third guy won the bet, although I had permanent nerve and muscle loss on both sides. The next ten years were hell. Physical therapy wasn't even a gleam in an orthopod's eye. However, the body can compensate a certain amount if you are stubborn enough. I was stubborn enough, and my body was able to compensate enough. That was the second of my severe medical challenges, and I'm glad it happened—it prepared me to deal with cancer therapy about fifteen years later, the nerve damage from a Schwannoma removal, and a hip replacement just last year. There are, indeed, "too many combat hours on this airframe," but I'll keep "flying," regardless.

And I hope this is encouraging to others facing similar challenges. As the Stan Rogers song says:

"No matter what you've lost,
be it home, a love, a friend,
turn to and put out all your strength
of arm and heart and brain.
And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again!"