Dan Blotcher isn’t a sit-still kind of guy. The retired architect and airplane mechanic has always skied, road biked and hit the weights hard (as in squatting 400 pounds).

So, two years ago, when he started having lower-back pain, he kept up his active lifestyle and lived with the back issue, soaking in the hot tub after a day’s activities to try to ease the discomfort. “I even kept skiing,” he said. “But after a while, it was kicking my butt. I couldn’t even stand up.”

Dan had a consultation with Steamboat Orthopaedic & Spine Institute’s Dr. J. Alex Sielatycki, a board-certified, fellowship-trained spine surgeon who focuses on motion-preservation procedures for the neck and spine. Dr. Sielatycki performs surgery at Memorial Regional Health and sees patients with the help of his PA, Tim Balise, at the Orthopedic Clinic here.

“I had an L4-5 stenosis,” Dan said. “The spinal canal diameter is supposed to be 12 millimeters minimum. Mine was at 3. Fortunately, Dr. Sielatycki told me I was a perfect candidate for the TOPS procedure.”

TOPS (Total Posterior Spine System) is an alternative to spinal fusion in the lumbar spine. The surgeon removes the damaged bony elements and soft tissues and replaces them with the TOPS implant. Unlike a fusion, which stabilizes the vertebrae but locks them in place, the implant moves with you, allowing for natural motion in all directions.

Dan was happy to hear that he could have a procedure that would allow him to stay active. Almost immediately after the surgery, he could tell he’d done the right thing. “From the first moment I stood up, I knew it was wonderful,” he said. “My pain was gone. I’m so pleased that I did it.”

Dan was so delighted, in fact, that a few days later he wrote a letter to MRH CEO Jennifer Riley.

“Just a quick note to tell you how pleased I am with your hospital. From the moment I was ushered into the surgical suite, Lydia the RN made my wife and I feel at home and even had us laughing. In the interim we met surgical nurses Jo and Kathleen. Trey (the nurse anesthetist) and I talked guitar stuff. Dr. Sielatycki’s PA, Tim, answered any questions. Then I woke up in my room and was doted on by Ms. Carmen, Candace, Tina, and surgical tech Misty, who was kind enough to make me a turkey sandwich at 2 a.m. I don’t know if there’s a course on bedside manners in healthcare, but it seems your whole staff got A+s.”

If you’re fortunate enough to have a conversation with Dan, you’ll quickly detect that he’s from Boston. He and his wife, Sharon, who’s English, moved to Hayden three years ago to be near their four grandkids. “Being from a big city, I’m amazed at how good MRH is,” he said.

Two months post-surgery, Dan, who’s about to turn 70, is working on regaining his fitness so that he can ski this coming winter. He’s also welding a deck, traveling to see his sister and the ocean (the only thing he misses about Boston), and preparing for a SOSI knee-replacement surgery.

“My affinity goes out to all on the MRH staff,” he wrote at the end of his appreciation letter. “BTW, I had a cheeseburger for lunch at MRH and that also was wonderful.”