Two years after the successful removal of a record 6-pound tumor from his back, a South Florida man returned to to thank his surgeon, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Marco Fermin reunited this week with Broward Health Medical Center neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Roberts. In February 2012, Roberts lead a six-surgeon team that removed from Fermin’s back one of the largest sacral chordoma tumors ever reported, the Sun Sentinel reports.
The 16-hour procedure required doctors to reconstruct Fermin’s pelvis, tailbone and bowels, Roberts told the Sun Sentinel.
Fermin had avoided surgery for years after emergency room doctors told him that tumor removal - while necessary - would rob him of his ability to walk, the Sun Sentinel reports. He consented to surgery only after meeting Roberts, he said.
A personal trainer and gym owner, Fermin now walks with only a brace on his leg, reports the Sun Sentinel.