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Special Advertising Section | Sunday, March 23, 20255but I was unable to do any of them without her help,%u201d he said. %u201cShe drove me to most of my appointments and was able to ask the good questions.%u201dHeidi also managed his pain medicine.%u201cThere were moments when I was fearful of having to depend on pain medication for longer than I felt safe with,%u201d McLeod said. %u201cThe good news is that the pain abated after about seven weeks, and I was able to begin recovering with physical therapy and discipline.%u201dAn internal battleMcLeod%u2019s former struggle is a familiar scenario to Dr. Meredith Jan Tackett, a rehabilitation psychologist specializing in health and disability issues. He has worked for three decades with patients who have chronic illnesses and other medical conditions such as spinal cord injury and acquired brain injury. He practices with the Rowan Center for Behavioral Medicine in Seattle.%u201cThe loss of your role in society is one of the most frightening and isolating experiences you can face. Also, (the patient%u2019s) self-worth is likely wrapped up in his work accomplishments and role as breadwinner. His management of his situation will depend on his social support, especially the opportunity to stay engaged in relationships and roles where Gary McLeod had always considered himself to be in good health. When he wasn%u2019t riding a surfboard or a motorcycle, he could be found plying his trade as a professional glazier %u2014 a physically demanding job installing metal trim and sheets of shimmering glass on skyscrapers.He never expected that doctors would one day need to rebuild his left shoulder with titanium parts.But decades of swinging mallets, heavy lifting and repetitive motion, exacerbated by the safety harness and retractable lifelines he wore on the job, began to take their toll until McLeod could no longer work. %u201cThe pain in my shoulder was tremendous,%u201d he said. %u201cMy shoulder was mostly useless.%u201dMcLeod was cautioned by Dr. Samuel Koo, a Kirkland-based specialist in arthroscopic shoulder surgery, that he would likely never regain the full range of motion he once enjoyed.He underwent shoulder replacement surgery in March of 2024, then found himself enduring a sometimes-painful sixmonth recovery %u2014 not an unusual span of time for a shoulder reconstruction %u2014 and largely dependent on his life partner, Heidi. Seemingly overnight, he was unable to do simple things he once did for himself.%u201cShe was able to lift things for me and open refrigerator doors, which I was restricted from, and bathing and dressing and so many things we all take for granted, Gary McLeod and his partner, Heidi, on their motorcycle. (Courtesy of Gary McLeod)Continued on page 6!\She was able to lift things for me and open refrigerator doors, which I was restricted from, and bathing and dressing and so many things we all take for granted, %u201cbut I was unable to do any of them without her help.Gary McLeod