#WhyFrye - Azzam Kamal

Through days of exhaustion, sleepless nights, and even passing out in public on multiple occasions, Azzam Kamal was a medical anomaly. He traveled throughout North Carolina, vising multiple medical facilities, and nobody could narrow down his diagnosis. It wasn’t until he visited Frye Regional Medical Center that Mr. Kamal finally felt some hope.

Before Mr. Kamal began his medical journey, he lived an everyday, average life. He is a 61-years-old working man with a wife and two adult children. Mr. Kamal never had any major health problems growing up, nor did his children. Unfortunately, as time progressed and the COVID-19 pandemic spread globally, more health issues arose in his family. Whether it was his wife in the ICU, or his daughter getting sick all the way in New York City, the stress and toll it placed on Mr. Kamal’s mind worried him constantly.

In 2023, things started to look up for Mr. Kamal. His daughter was getting better, his family was healthier, and the pandemic had finally slowed down. Life seemingly started to go back to normal. It wasn’t until later that year that Mr. Kamal started experiencing symptoms that he could not explain. He felt weak every day, had severe back pain, hearing loss, insomnia, and overall, became unmotivated. Mr. Kamal started seeing medical specialists ranging from rheumatologists, ear, nose and throat doctors to cardiologists, but it seemed nobody could discover where his pain or symptoms was coming from.

“I was miserable and had a lot of frustrations I couldn’t express due to my pain,” said Mr. Kamal. “I felt like I was hanging by a thread and even though I saw so many doctors, it felt like nobody wanted to help me.”

Mr. Kamal was losing hope. He began to think that he was going to have to live the rest of his life weak and in pain. It wasn’t until Bridget Hatton, family nurse practitioner with FryeCare Neurology, referred Mr. Kamal to FryeCare Orthopedics & Neurosurgery and he met with Dr. Barry Kaplan, a neurosurgeon, that Mr. Kamal felt a sense of relief.

“When you see someone like Dr. Kaplan, it becomes a beacon of light,” said Mr. Kamal. “He spoke to me like a person that needed help, not just a number to mark off of a list.”

After a series of tests, scans, and x-rays, Dr. Kaplan was able to make a diagnosis and encouraged Mr. Kamal to undergo spinal surgery. Mr. Kamal was shocked. After trying to find an answer for nearly a year, he finally heard a solution that showed some promise.

On December 18, 2023, Dr. Kaplan was able to perform spinal surgery on Mr. Kamal. The surgery went incredibly well, and Mr. Kamal couldn’t have asked for anything more. Eventually when he was released from the hospital, Mr. Kamal felt extremely grateful and hopeful for his future.

“One morning after surgery, I woke up and it felt like someone lit a fire in my soul,” said Mr. Kamal. “For the first time in a long time, I felt energetic, motivated, and alive.”

Today, Mr. Kamal says that he is still recovering and is currently working with FryeCare Neurology and Ms. Hatton on his sleeping patterns to feel even better. He is incredibly thankful for not only Ms. Hatton and Dr. Kaplan’s work, but how they treated him as a patient. “Thanks for treating me like a human,” said Mr. Kamal.

Through all of Mr. Kamal’s struggles and hurdles during his long medical journey, he was able to find hope again with Frye Regional.

Frye Regional Medical Center is determined to make sure that no matter the struggles, every patient is ensured with quality care and comfort. To find a provider, visit us online at MyFryeRegional.com, or call us at 828.315.3391.