Winnipegger frustrated with back surgery delays looks to get it done in Germany instead

Posted on October 24, 2024 by Peggy

A Winnipeg man who can hardly get out of bed due to crushing back pain is seeking surgery in Germany because of delays trying to get it done in Manitoba.

Shane Komar has been waiting six years to get a procedure done in Manitoba, but says there’s no end in sight, even though his condition is getting worse.

The 51-year-old has spoken “a bunch of times” with the surgeon assigned to him, but “all he ever tells me is that I’m on the list and it’ll get done one day, but he can’t tell me when.”

Doctors think his back may have initially been injured years and years ago, when Komar lived in the country, where he raced — and wiped out on — dirt bikes.

“I didn’t have any back pain at the time, but it just progressively got worse and worse,” he said. “In about 2016, it started to get really bad, where it was really hard for me to lift things. It was harder to stand up straight.”

He went to the doctor and was given prescriptions while a CT scan request was submitted. The scan finally happened in 2018.

It revealed one of his spinal discs had disintegrated and two vertebrae were misaligned, putting pressure on his spinal cord.

Komar was referred to a surgeon for further consultation, but that call didn’t come until a couple more years passed. The surgeon ordered an MRI, which took yet another year.

By that time, Komar’s pain was far worse than it had been in 2016, and the surgeon’s conclusion was yes, Komar indeed needed the procedure done.

“I’m basically at the point in the last couple years where I can barely walk. When I stand up, I can only stand up for about 15-20 seconds. My legs either go completely numb or they’re like burning on fire,” Komar said.

“I call them every couple months just to say, hey, have you guys forgot about me? Or are there any updates — [am I] getting any closer? But they never give you an answer. They just say it’s going to be down the road, we just don’t know when.”

He has friends in different parts of Canada who’ve gone to Germany for surgery because of the same delays.

“I always knew that it was an option, but I just couldn’t afford to do it,” Komar said. The procedure will cost about $60,000.

“But if I knew that it was going to take four or five years to get the surgery, I probably would have figured out a way to get the money, because not working for a couple years, I’ve lost way more than what it would cost me to have the surgery.”

Case being reviewed: Shared Health

His wife reached out to Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara in June, to plead Komar’s case, but didn’t get a response. Some time later, his wife sent a followup email, and a few weeks after that, the couple received a reply from an assistant to Asagwara.

After extending condolences for what Komar is going through, the assistant’s message was to go back to the doctors and let them know his situation was in a more urgent state.

“We already did that before, so it honestly felt like it was just a generic answer that they give to everybody. They really didn’t help us out at all,” Komar said.

In a response to CBC News requests for comment, a spokesperson for Shared Health, the organization that oversees health-care delivery in Manitoba, said in an email that the circumstances of Komar’s case are being reviewed.

The email touted “a new provincial spinal care program” being established to improve care and reduce wait times.

“The amount of time patients have to wait for back surgery in Manitoba can vary depending on their specific needs. As with other surgeries, patients are triaged and prioritized based on acuity levels — meaning those with urgent and emergent health needs often receive their surgeries much sooner.”

In the meantime, one of Komar’s best friends set up a GoFundMe page about a week ago to raise the money for the surgery in Germany.

Just over $15,000 has been raised so far through that route, while another $7,000 or so has come in directly to Komar through e-transfers from friends and family.

“I literally cry every single day. Sometimes it’s because I’m in pain, but more recently, it’s because so many people have reached out and donated so much money and shared [my story] with so many people,” Komar said.

“It’s nice positive feelings that I haven’t felt in such a long time because of the pain that I’ve been in. So it’s just almost overwhelming. It’s just a beautiful thing.”

He admits it won’t be easy handling the long flight and other travel associated with getting to Germany.

“All I can do is just take the medication they give me and try to get as comfortable as I can … and know that when I get there, and after the surgery, I won’t be in any pain anymore,” Komar said.

“I’ve been dealing with this back pain for probably six or seven years now, so I could probably suck it up for another couple days on a flight.”