Sibling rivalry brewing between SWFL Super Bowl championsFort Myers mother warns others after falling victim to ticket fraud
FORT MYERS Sibling rivalry brewing between SWFL Super Bowl champions Philadelphia may be known as the city of brotherly love, but here in southwest Florida, there’s a brotherly rivalry brewing between two of our own.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers mother warns others after falling victim to ticket fraud A mother’s intended surprise turned into a disappointment when she paid for Savannah Bananas tickets but never received them. The tickets were meant to be a special gift for her son.
Legal expert weighs in on 17-year-old found not guilty of murder of mom Collin Griffith, a 17-year-old, has been found not guilty in the death of his mother, Catherine Griffith, who was fatally stabbed in the neck.
FORT MYERS $150k worth of equipment stolen from Lee Health Fort Myers police arrested a hospital employee accused of stealing more than 150 thousand dollars worth of medical equipment from Lee Health.
NAPLES Award-winning stylist to host event during Naples Automotive Experience On Friday, an Emmy Award-winning Hollywood stylist will host Forever Fabulous, a charity event with the St. Matthew’s House.
FORT MYERS Colonial and I-75 diverging diamond to be completed by spring The diverging diamond at Colonial Boulevard and Interstate 75 in Fort Myers is diverting drivers.
NAPLES 20th Annual Spring Home & Garden show coming to Naples The 20th semi-annual Spring Home & Garden show is coming to Naples.
NAPLES Collier Publix worker spreads joy with kindness cards In Collier County, one person stands out for his daily acts of kindness, bringing smiles to those around him.
FGCU FGCU softball pitcher ranked among the best in the country FGCU softball pitcher Allison Sparkman enters her sophomore season ranked as one of the top pitchers in the country.
Congress steps in as Port Charlotte widow searches for husband’s ashes A Port Charlotte woman continues to fight to find her husband’s ashes, lost in the mail. Members of Congress are now backing her efforts.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers mom recounts dramatic chase to find kidnapped daughter A mother’s worst nightmare unfolded when her 2-year-old daughter was taken from her in Fort Myers on Monday.
ESTERO Copperleaf Community fights hunger through fundraising The Copperleaf Country Club community in Estero is making a significant impact in the fight against hunger.
NAPLES Collier County students explore trade careers at job fair Hundreds of Collier County students explored potential future careers at the Build My Future Job Fair.
NORTH NAPLES New orthopedic hospital nears completion in Collier County A new orthopedic hospital is nearing completion in Collier County, Florida, with an estimated cost of $140 million.
Real estate deals that shaped the SWFL landscape in 2024 The rise of online retail and continued regional population growth played a large role in a series of yin/yang real estate transactions that defined Southwest Florida’s top deals of 2024.
FORT MYERS Sibling rivalry brewing between SWFL Super Bowl champions Philadelphia may be known as the city of brotherly love, but here in southwest Florida, there’s a brotherly rivalry brewing between two of our own.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers mother warns others after falling victim to ticket fraud A mother’s intended surprise turned into a disappointment when she paid for Savannah Bananas tickets but never received them. The tickets were meant to be a special gift for her son.
Legal expert weighs in on 17-year-old found not guilty of murder of mom Collin Griffith, a 17-year-old, has been found not guilty in the death of his mother, Catherine Griffith, who was fatally stabbed in the neck.
FORT MYERS $150k worth of equipment stolen from Lee Health Fort Myers police arrested a hospital employee accused of stealing more than 150 thousand dollars worth of medical equipment from Lee Health.
NAPLES Award-winning stylist to host event during Naples Automotive Experience On Friday, an Emmy Award-winning Hollywood stylist will host Forever Fabulous, a charity event with the St. Matthew’s House.
FORT MYERS Colonial and I-75 diverging diamond to be completed by spring The diverging diamond at Colonial Boulevard and Interstate 75 in Fort Myers is diverting drivers.
NAPLES 20th Annual Spring Home & Garden show coming to Naples The 20th semi-annual Spring Home & Garden show is coming to Naples.
NAPLES Collier Publix worker spreads joy with kindness cards In Collier County, one person stands out for his daily acts of kindness, bringing smiles to those around him.
FGCU FGCU softball pitcher ranked among the best in the country FGCU softball pitcher Allison Sparkman enters her sophomore season ranked as one of the top pitchers in the country.
Congress steps in as Port Charlotte widow searches for husband’s ashes A Port Charlotte woman continues to fight to find her husband’s ashes, lost in the mail. Members of Congress are now backing her efforts.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers mom recounts dramatic chase to find kidnapped daughter A mother’s worst nightmare unfolded when her 2-year-old daughter was taken from her in Fort Myers on Monday.
ESTERO Copperleaf Community fights hunger through fundraising The Copperleaf Country Club community in Estero is making a significant impact in the fight against hunger.
NAPLES Collier County students explore trade careers at job fair Hundreds of Collier County students explored potential future careers at the Build My Future Job Fair.
NORTH NAPLES New orthopedic hospital nears completion in Collier County A new orthopedic hospital is nearing completion in Collier County, Florida, with an estimated cost of $140 million.
Real estate deals that shaped the SWFL landscape in 2024 The rise of online retail and continued regional population growth played a large role in a series of yin/yang real estate transactions that defined Southwest Florida’s top deals of 2024.
Of all the back surgeries, a spinal fusion is probably the most dreaded, but that could change thanks to a breakthrough procedure pioneered right here in Southwest Florida. A local surgeon is patenting a new method that may one day become the standard of treatment. Just about anything that can go wrong has gone wrong in Steve Doerter’s back. “I have severe scoliosis. I have degenerative disc disease. I have spinal stenosis,” said Doerter. For years, he suffered, going as far as implanting a spinal cord stimulator to lower the pain. Until one day, he hit a tipping point. “I was just doing a very simple stretch, and something gave,” said Doerter. That led him to Naples neuro-spine surgeon Dr. Mark Frenkel. “We have patients all the time who are just absolutely debilitated,” said Frenkel. The surgery of last resort is a spinal fusion- linking vertebrae together to stop movement and pain. The procedure evolved to small tools and incisions but still required a large cut in the back to place rods and screws that hold things together until the bones fuse. “And that incision in the back is often very large and very painful. We have to cut a lot of muscle in order to put in the rods and screws, and that really just makes recovery difficult,” said Frenkel. After performing many of these big surgeries, Frenkel thought of a better way. With the backing of the physician’s regional medical center, he is patenting a new approach. One that fuses the spine without rods and screws. “Instead of putting in rods and screws, I take these tiny little needles, and I curve them through one bone, through the spacer, into the other bone, and I inject cement,” said Frenkel. He’s calling it the cem-lif procedure since it’s based on cement already approved for use in the spine to reinforce fractures. “The real innovation here is putting it across the bones, so from one bone through the spacer in the disc space, into the other bone,” said Frenkel. Dr. Frenkel’s done 20 of these so far. The first patient was Doerter. “He gave me a brief review, and I said, ‘I’ll be your guinea pig. I trust you. Let’s go for it,'” said Doerter. He underwent his lumbar fusion in January. Feeling better than he has in years, a major surgery was almost a walk in the park. “Because I had absolutely no hardware, no rods, no screws, no nothing with this process, and the pain I was saved in recovery is immeasurable,” said Doerter. “Comparing the traditional approach with the folks who had this procedure, I mean, it’s like night and day,” said Frenkel. As he adds to his number of cases, Frenkel is making a case that his procedure might one day be the new normal for spine fusions. Without a big incision, patients recover quicker and have less chance of infection. Frenkel also says his patients get by with far fewer opioid pain meds.