37 miles for RNOH Charity: Spinal surgery survivor draws media buzz!

Posted by June Heath on 23 December 2025

Glenn Meyer is quite literally Walking Back to Happiness. In an inspiring fundraising challenge for RNOH Charity, Glenn will trek from Caterham in Surrey to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, arriving on 7 May 2026. It’s a mammoth journey, driven by purpose and gratitude. Glenn has shared his deeply personal story with us: a traumatic and life-changing experience that ultimately speaks of resilience, determination and hope. Here it is in Glenn’s words.

“It all started at a family barbecue. Relaxing in the sunshine in September 2020, I stretched out the footstool of my recliner deckchair, experienced excruciating pain and passed out. My wife and adult kids assumed I was having a heart attack and called the ambulance. But it turns out my ticker was fine; my spine was not.

“Initial investigations showed I have a previously undiagnosed degenerative condition of my spine that means my lower back gradually deformed, narrowing the space where nerves sit and putting pressure on the discs. That small movement of my legs had caused three big disc bulges and sheared off a piece of disc which lodged in the channel where my spinal cord runs, jamming things up and causing pain – a lot of it.”

Glenn says he felt pretty dreadful. “I was in shock and in pain, and I wanted to find a way to fix it. I had so many treatments, including two spinal nerve root block injections, but they didn’t work. Over the next three years, my pain levels increased and my mobility decreased. This changed me from a tall, active walker, firstly to a stooped shuffler and eventually to a wheelchair user.”

The RNOH difference

Fortunately, Glenn was later referred to RNOH and soon a new plan was taking shape. Glenn says: “It was in that wheelchair that I first met Mr Julian Leong, Consultant Spinal Surgeon at RNOH in Stanmore.

“On 5 October 2023, I went under Mr Leong’s expert knife for the first of a series of operations so that Mr Leong could decompress the nerve roots, remove excess bone growth and damaged disc material, then fit spacers and cages over my vertebrae and screw them into place. A couple of days later, a lengthy incision was made down my back and the cages were firmly screwed in. Stabiliser bolts were attached from my pelvis to my spine to keep everything in place while new bone grew over the metalwork and fused everything nice and solid.”

It may sound like a significant operation, but Glenn explains that Mr Leong and the wider team were focused on achieving the best possible long-term outcome. By taking a more comprehensive approach from the outset, they aimed to reduce the risk of future problems.

The RNOH teams kept a close eye on Glenn’s recovery and ensured he was safe to leave hospital. He explains: “Before I could go home, I had to show the excellent hospital physio that I could safely climb a flight of stairs, both up and down. I set to work and, eight days later, I was discharged – in a very natty spinal corset which I had to wear for another six months while muscles regrew and I regained some strength.”

Christmas spirit

“When I left the hospital, I was still suffering from nerve pain but was told ‘walking is your best friend’ so I was determined to make it on foot to the nearest pub," Glenn says.

“That walk started by first getting to my gate, then the neighbours’ gate and back. It seemed like a marathon each time. But I kept adding steps to my daily walks and it was Christmas 2023 when I tasted my first ‘walked for’ pint.”

Robotic rescue

Almost a year after his first operation, Glenn faced a setback, but this was where advances in robot-assisted surgery truly came into their own for him.

“In August 2024, one of the screws holding the metalwork together was removed because it was pressing on a nerve. Robotic surgery drastically reduced the risk of breaking or damaging the nerve by twisting it and recovery was so quick that after surgery on Friday, I was back at work on Tuesday!” Glenn says.

A new plan begins to form

“My final operation happened right at the end of May 2025. X-rays had shown Mr Leong that the titanium scaffold had fused with my spine well enough to remove the support bolts from my hips. This gave me a little more movement around my hips and the whisper of a message to my dropped foot so, post operation, I was back to building up my walking distance. As well as aiding my physical rehabilitation, walking helped my mental health. And it was during these outings that my current plans began to form.

“The RNOH teams who helped me are all brilliant. My wife Hilary says they are miracle workers and it certainly feels like they are.” That’s why Glenn, his family and friends are now working hard to raise funds for RNOH Charity with their epic 37-mile walk from Glenn's home in Surrey to RNOH in Stanmore this May - so they can say thank you to the hospital that got Glenn back on his feet.

“Without everyone involved in my care, I wouldn’t be standing up and walking, let alone dancing. I was always a liability on the dance floor but at a recent party, friends were laughing (and weeping) at the sight of me and my walking poles cutting shapes!”

Now 66, Glenn says that today, he is physically much stronger and mentally determined to make the best recovery possible. “I still have pain but I am up and walking and that means so much to me.”

His fundraiser for RNOH Charity is a great motivator. “Training for the fundraising event means I am getting fitter. I walk every day for at least 20 minutes and on the weekend, Hilary and I, sometimes accompanied by friends, are walking further and further. ‘Walking Back to Happiness’ will take place over three days, finishing in Stanmore on 7 May 2026, where I hope to see some of the team who have helped me.

“I like walking. Particularly with dogs. I hadn’t been able to do that for so long. Now that I’m training for ‘Walking Back to Happiness’, I am out and about a lot and we are looking after a young Staffie for two days a week so I’m starting to walk with a dog again and that is good fun!”

Glenn has even attracted the attention of the expert walkers of BBC Radio 4’s Ramblings series! Glenn spent time with host Clare Balding for a special programme that will be broadcast in early 2026.

What a remarkable story. We’re overjoyed by the progress Glenn has made. His recovery is testament to the skill and care of the RNOH teams, and to Glenn’s own determination, strengthened by the unwavering support of his friends and family.

Glenn, we’re cheering you on for every step of your walk, and we thank you warmly for supporting the hospital.

If you'd like to show Glenn your support too, you can find his fundraising page here.