joining me is my cohost ethan youker. > ethan: thanks, kimberly. today we're featuring a true story of loss, faith and a rare love that only happens in nonfiction. it's a memoir titled 'fractured not broken', the heart wrenching story of kelly schaefer who was left a quadriplegic after being hit by a drunk driver. > kimberly: then we'll visit baton rouge, louisiana in our 'back to life' segment to hear from linda cheek. she was facing open back surgery and a life of pain before receiving the exclusive patented bonati spine procedures. in our final segment i'll speak with dr. bonati about how united healthcare, one of the nations largest insurance providers is pulling out of obamacare citing unsustainable losses and what that could mean for the marketplace as a whole. > ethan: at american medicine today we often feature medical innovations but we also never forget the healing power of the human spirit. > kimberly: in todays program we are happy to highlight a real life story of heroism, courage, humility and

a true triumph of faith, hope and love. > ethan: it's a pretty incredible story, kelly. but take us back and paint a picture if you will prior to 1999, which is when you had this accident, you were a star athlete, cheerleader, dating a star basketball player. tell us what your life was like back then. you had it all by all accounts. > kelly: yeah. you know, back then when i was 19 i lived a pretty carefree life. and i honestly thought everybody did. i was living in a bubble. and i was a iu cheerleader, was going to major in elementary education. i was a freshman at iu, which is indiana university. and was in a three-year relationship with a guy named luke who was a college basketball player. and life was really good at the time. > ethan: and then everything changed for the tragic. family vacation

tell us what happened that night. > kelly: yeah. that night, it was the last night of our family vacation and my brother along with my boyfriend at the time, luke, just decided to go out with a bunch of the members of the dude ranch staff just to have a good time and say our goodbyes. and we met around 9:30 and it immediately became tragic about five minutes into our drive where the drunk driver swerved over the center line and hit our caravan. it was a four car accident and 13 people got injured. one of them being a death. the other major one being my brother jason who had a brain injury. and myself with the spinal cord injury. and everyone else had bumps and bruises and broken arms. but yeah, it was a very

the least. > kimberly: what was the nature of your injury and the prognosis? because when you're through something that's obviously so tragic and you know you have a spinal cord injury, what were the doctors saying? and at that point you must have realized your whole world came to a screeching halt. > kelly: right. when they said "you broke your neck" i immediately thought of christopher reeves sitting in his wheelchair. and i just thought "i cannot do that." and they give you some hope, you know, like "wait until the swelling goes down." i fractured my spine at the c4 level. and so my spinal cord was never cut, it was just bruised. and so they said "just wait. but it looks very unlikely that you'll ever walk again." and so immediately your carefree life becomes just the opposite and you have

going to live? how am i going to get a job? who is going to marry me? how can i be a mother?" and so it's a flood of questions. and the doctors kind of give you a year just to see what you're going to be left with as far as mobility when you have a spinal cord injury. > ethan: right. because a lot of times after these injuries some of that motion is regained to a point. how was that in your case? > kelly: yeah. i did regain some mobility past my injury. i had movement in my left arm, my left wrist. and i have both uses of my shoulders. and i also had feeling everywhere, which is different from most people who suffer a spinal cord injury. and so technically with the c4 level you might not even be able to breathe on your own. so i got very lucky by

my injury site. > ethan: and you say you got lucky, kelly. that is a mindset that usually helps people with these kinds of injuries. staying positive, things like that. i as sort of a born pessimist has always thought if something like that happened to me you wouldn't be able to pull me out of that kind of depression. how did you rise above your accident? > kelly: right. when you're hospitalized, i was hospitalized at ric in chicago. and there in chicago i was on the floor with people who were worse off than me. and the saying that things can always be worse is totally true and totally helpful. i saw people who couldn't breathe on their own. i saw people who weren't going to make it. and it just gave me some hope to just take what i have left and use it to the best of my ability. but also i have a great support system. my family and my friends and of course my faith is what really pulled me

everybody just kept moving forward. no one ever really looked back and felt sorry for ourselves or said "why me?" and so i just kind of did what they did. > kimberly: so you're taking one day at a time. obviously things could be worse. and then truly to make matters worse your boyfriend decided to leave you on thanksgiving. so someone you had been with for three years, probably considering maybe marriage even, saying he couldn't handle life now with a quadriplegic. that must've been absolutely devastating. > kelly: right. > kimberly: how did you handle? > kelly: at that time that hurt worse than being hit by a car. > kimberly: i bet. > kelly: and i look back now and i do have forgiveness in my heart for him. but at the time it was just so difficult to realize that someone was breaking up with you for something you can't change. and that left me feeling

kind of ashamed of who i had become in this wheelchair . > kimberly: right. > kelly: and so heartbreak is difficult whether you're standing or sitting. but to have both at the same time was very difficult to go through .and that was a long healing process. so yeah, it was just like a double whammy. > ethan: sort of a crazy parallel, kelly, that you get into in your book and what i found one of the most amazing parts is that while you're trying to get your life back together, you had just broken up with your boyfriend at the time, and i guess you were featured on espn in a piece about what had happened to you. sort of a cautionary tale about drunk driving and this and that. unbeknownst to you the man who would become your husband saw that and sought you out, right? it's one of these sort of love stories that can only be written for the big screen. tell us a little bit about that and shawn. > kelly: right. and you know, it sounds

creepy, but yes my husband was watching that espn clip and then seven years later he had that story still in his mind and just kind of wondered where i was and how i was doing. and i guess god just kind of kept laying it on his heart. and so he had work in indiana and was kind of passing through our town and just decided to stop by and see if he could drop off a letter that he had written just telling me how much of an inspiration i was. and he instead came to the door. and one thing led to another. it's kind of a long story, that's why i put it in the book. but one thing led to another and now we're married. > ethan: yeah. you say that it's a long story and i read a vast majority of it, and i was even moved by it. which says a lot. so it's pretty amazing how the stars all kind of aligned for you.

> ethan: it was fate. i mean, you guys must talk about that nowadays that it's a romance novel. > kelly: and i always thought the saying "things happen for a reason" was so cliche. and you know, i just kind of rolled my eyes at that. but they really do happen for a reason. and my story is a true testament to that. > kimberly: yeah. > ethan: it's incredible. and so bring us sort of to now. i mean, you went through a lot of rehabilitation, things like that. you went back to school. you graduated. you're a teacher now. i think just before i called you class just got out. so you've come a long way. > kelly: yeah. i went back to school. i became a teacher, which i always wanted. and i got married to shawn. and we just recently adopted two children from africa. > ethan: oh wow. > kelly: they came home a couple of weeks ago. > kimberly: congratulations. > kelly: thank you. our lives are crazy and

completely blessed. > kimberly: what an inspirational story you have. we have kelly schaefer, a woman who had it all, was rendered a quadriplegic after being hit by a drunk driver at age 19. make sure you check out her book 'fractured not broken', overcoming setbacks with a vengeance. a real life story of heroic virtue. thank you so much, kelly schaefer for joining us on 'american medicine today'. continued good health. and hopefully we find that miraculous things that can get you up and walking again. > ethan: thanks, kelly. > kelly: well thank you so much. > kimberly: take care. the bonati spine institute is located in the tampa bay area. we have performed over 45,000 procedures on patients from all over the world. > ethan: the patented bonati spine procedures lead the way in less invasive spine surgery exclusively performed at the bonati spine institute. now a recent 7 1/2 year survey reflects a patient satisfaction rate of 98.75%.

spine institute all of the procedures are performed here at our 11 acre facility, from your initial consultation and exam to x-rays and mris in our on-site imaging center. all surgeries are performed in one of our three surgical operating rooms and recovery is just steps away. this allows the surgeon more access to their patients and allows you to go home the same day. > ethan: each week our 'back to life' segment highlights a patient of the bonati spine institute and chronicles their journey from living a life of pain to regaining their strength and getting back in motion. coming up we'll visit baton rouge, louisiana and speak with linda cheek about her ongoing battle with degenerative spine disease and how the bonati spine procedures have kept the pain away. > revolutionary in his field, dr. bonati created, perfected and patented the bonati spine procedures. using his genius bonati invented precise tools necessary to minimize surgery, scarring, anesthesia and recovery. so successful are the bonati spine procedures they consistently reflect

satisfaction. 45,000 successful procedures have been performed exclusively at our location. nearly half our patients suffer from failed back and neck surgeries at other facilities. bonati succeeds where others fail. > kimberly: we consistently see amazing recoveries here at the bonati spine institute. most patients leave pain-free, no longer relying on prescription drugs. the best way to hear these remarkable results is from our patients who travel the globe to seek out the exclusive patented and targeted bonati spine procedures. > linda cheek: and i've been blessed that i know about bonati. i'm thankful every day to the lord that he led me there. and i am blessed to be able to go there. because when i go there i know i'm going to be pain-free when i leave. i have stenosis. i have degenerative back disease. i have bulging discs. i have herniated discs. and i have something that i can't pronounce so i'm not even going to try.

if i did go to sleep it would usually wake me up. i like to be outside. so i do the yard work because i want to. and it's nearly an acre of yardwork. and as you see, when you came in you probably saw the beds and everything. so it's a lot to it. you don't just get on the lawnmower and ride. you have to get off the lawnmower and do a lot of work. so i enjoy doing that. but when it was so bad this time i couldn't do that. and i also have grandchildren and it was to the point where i couldn't pick them up. you know, i had to stoop down to their level. i couldn't do a lot of things that i was used to doing because it would hurt. i had one procedure here and that was... i don't want to have any open back procedures if possible. they fused my neck and put hardware in. the downtime, you still even though you don't have the pain maybe like you did, you're still not

you have recovery sometimes up to a year. bonati obviously is very, very smart to have done what he's done. i ran into someone that i knew and they told me about it. she had been down there at one time. so the next time i started having back issues that's where i decided to go. i called them up and told them that i had some back issues going on. and they told me to send a recent mri and they would look at it and decide if they could help me. if they could, then they would let me know to make the trip down there. so that's what i did. and they said yes they could. so we went. the staff is very personal and professional and you get to know them. you just get to know them. and i can't wait to see them whenever i go back. it's crazy to think you want to go back to an institute to see somebody, but they are friends. we made friends there.

recovering maybe, i don't know, just till i wake up. it's just an iv sedative. maybe an hour. and then you get dressed and go to your condo. so i don't have to stay two or three days. and if we decide not to leave the very day we go shopping, we go... we do whatever we want to do. as a matter of fact the first one that i had, i was back teaching my step aerobics class in 14 days. two weeks. i haven't had to take any pain pills. i don't think i've taken any pain pills with any of his procedures. so there's nothing to it. i came back, i told you last week i did all the yard. you know. so i'm able to do things again that i couldn't do when it gets real bad and i have all the pain. so it does make a big difference in how i can do things. i love dr. grossmith. i ask for him every time

i request him. and i just love him. he's just nice and he's easy to talk to. i can't say enough good about him. > dr. grossmith: the ability to trust in a person that's taking care of you i think is a big issue. and so i think the institute's dedicated to doing one area in medicine in which there are a lot of patients that are in need of help, and that is problems with the spine, cervical, thoracic and lumbar. and coming to a location where this procedure is done not once a week or twice a week but every day. and so that's the focus. there are no other subspecialties in the practice. and so doing this type of surgery over years leads to continued improvement to the point where the results are quite high. > linda: they address all these issues that i have.

you know, so it's not like there's a lot of things that they don't address down there concerning the spine. because they do. they can send an mri and they will review it. if they can't help you they'll tell you that. that's my advice to everybody i talk to is check it out and research it, do whatever you have to do. but before you make a decision make sure that you know what you're deciding on. if they knew about bonati they would have so much less recovery time and they have instant pain relief. they have a very small incision. i mean, it's just a big difference the minute you get off the table. there's no question about it, unless there was just no option i would not have a procedure except at the bonati institute. has down. > dr. bonati: it's extremely important to be able to love what you do. and the beauty of what i

have a very rewarding result. these patients come in a bad situation and we are able to get them back and give them their lives back again. > this is the first time that i am pain-free after 18 years. and it's just wonderful. i love it. > phenomenal results. no pain whatsoever. > my pain is virtually gone. nothing short of a miracle. > those surgeries gave me my life back. > already i feel like a new person. > i'm going home new. i can chase my grandbaby now. i can garden. i can cook. and i'm really thrilled. the outcome's been remarkable. > i feel 100% better. > it's like a miracle. > it was phenomenal. it literally did change my life. > i was in a wheelchair at that time.

> every single pain that i had when i came here is gone. > i'm ready to go home. i feel great. this place is great. thank you. > everything that they said they would do they have done. and i'm very, very satisfied and happy with those results. > i knew in surgery, in fact i told the surgeon when he relieved the pain off the nerve. > the pain is gone. i'm feeling wonderful. > i have no pain. i feel better than i've felt in four years from the surgery. it was almost immediate relief. > today i am totally pain-free. which is just amazing. it's fantastic. > it definitely works. i mean, i really don't know what else to tell you. i'm happy. > i can honestly say that i just had my last surgery four days ago, i feel like a brand-new man. > the next morning that i woke up after my first surgery at bonati spine institute i felt immediate relief in my legs and in my feet.

been happier. > revolutionary in his field, dr. bonati created, perfected and patented the bonati spine procedures. using his genius bonati invented precise tools necessary to minimize surgery, scarring, anesthesia and recovery. so successful are the bonati spine procedures they consistently reflect over 94% patient satisfaction. 45,000 successful procedures have been performed exclusively at our location. nearly half our patients suffer from failed back and neck surgeries at other facilities. bonati succeeds where others fail. > kimberly: united healthcare, the nation's largest health insurer recently announced its quitting obamacare citing unsustainable losses. will this spell the end for obamacare or will it mean more money out of your pocket? so we already know the senate has taken up the action to repeal a large portion of obamacare. but now we're hearing one of the nation's leading

healthcare is wanting to drop out of the exchanges and not have anything to do with obamacare. what do you think about that? > dr. bonati: well i do believe that united healthcare is managed by one of the most intelligent ceos on the insurance market. mr. hemsley is a brilliant individual who immediately saw that the socialization of medicine is going to be a disaster. with that type of a thought he is trying to pull his insurance out of this type of nightmare. not only they are going to have a loss around $500 million this year, but at

going to potentialize to a lot higher loss in the following years. > kimberly: correct. > dr. bonati: so his advisors and himself they decided to opt for the most intelligent way to correct the problem and to serve their shareholders. > kimberly: right. > dr. bonati: and one of the statements that happened when the healthcare was created, the obamacare.... > kimberly: which one? you can keep your insurance if you like your insurance. you can keep your doctor if you like your doctor. or is there some others? > dr. bonati: i'm talking about the creator of the obamacare. > kimberly: okay. > dr. bonati: he said the law never will pass if they will discuss the law properly. > kimberly: correct. > dr. bonati: because of the stupidity of the american voter. > kimberly: sure. > dr. bonati: well guess what, the american voter is not so stupid.

going to die because i really think the next individual who's going to be in the government, and i know that the american people is intelligent enough to elect donald trump and ted cruz. i think if we have that team guiding the country all this abuse and this corruption and mediocrity is going to disappear. > kimberly: i believe that to be true as well. but i have to throw this question out there, dr. bonati. if united healthcare pulls out of these obamacare exchanges and we see rates are tripling and quadrupling for patients to be able to afford the premiums, who's going to fill that gap now that you have an insurer that's not going to be insuring through that? > dr. bonati: i don't think it's going to happen that. i don't think it's going to happen that. i think, that's what i really think. > kimberly: you don't

fact that there's going to be increased costs? > dr. bonati: no. i think what is going to happen is they are going to... remember that a lot of these laws are going to be repealed. > kimberly: right. > dr. bonati: so they're going to go to a type of healthcare that we had 10 years ago. and these insurance are going to go to a simple behavior, are going to go and they're going to court you to become insured and they're going to offer you a program that you're going to be able to pay. remember in around two years ago i had an employee that i pay, i pay her insurance. > kimberly: sure. > dr. bonati: and she was paying around $300 for a very good united healthcare type of a program. > kimberly: sure. > dr. bonati: and then after this incentives and the whole thing it went to around $470. > kimberly: right. > dr. bonati: i think the

down and the people who lost their insurance and the industries that fired a lot of these employees because they were unable to afford will be able to afford again and they will attract the employees back with incentives of healthcare. > kimberly: right. > dr. bonati: i think there's going to be a reborn of the healthcare industry and the insurance. and i think it's going to revitalize medicine and it's going to revitalize also the market. > kimberly: thank you for watching 'american medicine today'. remember you do not have to live with back and neck pain. there is an option. stop suffering and seek a consultation to see if the world-renowned bonati spine procedures can help you. > ethan: all you have to do is send us your mri. our medical staff will evaluate it and let you know if the bonati spine

> kimberly: if you have any comments or questions contact us at the number below. you can also tweet @drbonati using #americanmedicinetoday or #amt. we would like to hear from you. > thank you for watching 'american medicine today' presented by the bonati spine institute. please look in your local listings for our next regularly scheduled program. to hear more from dr. alfred bonati and 'american medicine today' tune in to newsradio 970 wfla. > revolutionary in his field, dr. bonati created, perfected and patented the bonati spine procedures. using his genius bonati invented precise tools necessary to minimize surgery, scarring, anesthesia and recovery.

bonati spine procedures they consistently reflect over 94% patient satisfaction. 45,000 successful procedures have been performed exclusively at our location. nearly half our patients suffer from failed back and neck surgeries at other facilities. bonati succeeds

>> announcer: starting right now on "this week" with george

chaos at crunch time. just one week to iowa and a fractured gop taking aim at its front-runners. >> donald trump is getting really rattled. >> i could stand in the middle of 5th avenue and shoot somebody and i would not lose any voters, okay? >> we're on the ground in iowa with eight days to go. plus, fight to the finish. >> -- diplomacy is not a speck spectator sport. >> stick with me. >> as sanders surges ahead of hillary clinton, could he really pull off a stunning upset? bernie sanders joins us live and former mayor michael bloomberg considering a 2016 run, could he change everything? >> announcer: from abc news, it's "this week," here now, co-anchor martha raddatz. good morning, and we're almost there. it's the final sprint in iowa,