Illustrations by Patrik Svensson
Gerald Nielson’s back pain has plagued him ever since the day in 1986 when he crashed his Trans Am while going 80 miles an hour. The accident broke his back in several places and left him with a constant, searing ache from his neck to his tailbone. The accident didn’t diminish his love of cars, though. He spent his life as a salesman, buying and flipping old Corvettes and Benzes from his home in Bluff Springs.
The pain grew less tolerable as Nielson entered his 40s, and in 2011, he asked his primary care doctor for help. The doctor referred him to Philip Leonard, a neurologist in central Austin. Nielson was in luck: Leonard was able to see him right away.
