INDIANAPOLIS — On Tuesday morning, Bill Sorrell is catching up with his surgeon.
“Scrubs and suits are great, but I think you should be wearing a cape,” Sorell told him.
Bill has more than just words to express his gratitude to Dr. David Stockwell. He has a tattoo on his arm that includes Stockwell's and his assistant's signatures.
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“I remember after surgery, he was like, 'Can you write? Can you do your signature for me so I can get a tattoo?' And I was like, 'I’ll write my signature,' but I didn’t think that he would follow through. I just never had a patient do that before,” said Stockwell.
"It may be a little strange to wear another man's signature on your wrist, but it’s that important to me,” Sorrell said.
Two years ago, Sorrell began having trouble walking. What started as occasional tripping turned into leg spasms and the need to consciously think through every step.
“From being completely healthy to having to think about steps and stairs and walking was just unbelievable to me,” he said.
Doctors discovered an arachnoid cyst, a rare cyst in the space around the spinal cord.
“Not a very common diagnosis, but the cyst puts pressure on the spinal cord,” Dr. Stockwell explained.
Sorrell says the physical limitations soon affected his mental health. But in August, everything changed. He underwent surgery to remove the cyst, a procedure he says turned his life around.
He set a goal to attend a Spartan Race he had originally signed up for.
"I didn't complete the race, but my goal was to walk to the first obstacle and back to the starting line, and I did that," said Sorrell.
Sorrell hopes that sharing his experience encourages others navigating medical challenges.
“Life does come with struggle. You never know when it’s going to come. You can’t always predict it,” he said.
His doctor said the holidays can be especially difficult for patients still recovering.
“It means not being able to be with family, which can be tricky, so our goal is to get them back home as soon as we can,” Dr. Stockwell said.
For Sorrell, the tattoo will remain a lasting reminder.
“A daily reminder that I went through a struggle, but that struggle was difficult, and I made it out,” he said.
