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With clinicians’ commitment to innovative care, the Heart Center has become one of only eight programs in the nation to perform this rare, lifesaving procedure.

Debbi Jesse, 51, is outside mowing her lawn, an activity she couldn’t do prior to her ultra-minimally invasive—also known as endoscopic—spine surgery at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital. For years, Debbi had been in pain, which ranged from stabbing to sharp to shooting throughout most of the lower half of her body, including her back, hips, and glutes.

When Ashley developed a rare condition following a heart transplant, she turned to Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

But the minor twinge that started after one of her regular weight-lifting sessions soon grew into intense shoulder pain with accompanying arm and wrist weakness that threatened to sidetrack her busy life. She had a ruptured disc in her cervical (neck) spine.

Two wheels sped down a rural Missouri highway, and a 14-year-old fell in love. “It was a freedom feeling,” Tom Waller says, more than six decades after his first motorcycle ride. “And I’ve never lost it.

Bill Bunch’s favorite activities include golfing, tending to his yard, and playing catch with his grandson. Each one became more difficult and less enjoyable for the retiree during a six-year span in which a worsening back condition affected his hips, legs, and feet.

Courtney Ewert knew something in her body felt odd, but she gave it little thought until she began losing weight. “I noticed over a few weeks that my size was smaller and when I weighed myself, the change was not normal.”

How go the New Year’s resolutions? Unfortunately, most people who make a New Year’s resolution fail to keep it. Vague goals of “getting healthy” typically go by the wayside before the end of January. Instead, stick with specific targets that are realistic and achievable.

For many people, the holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s good for the heart and soul to spend time with friends and family.