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Christmas 2018 with Joey. I still love this one—the lights, the tree, and that easy kind of happiness you don’t think to hold onto until years later.…

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Joey Montes @jrm
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Dawne and Joey dressed for a formal evening, standing close together beneath warm crystal chandeliers. Dawne wears an elegant beaded evening dress while Joey wears a black suit and tie.

I have joked more than once that I outkicked my coverage with Dawne, and this photograph makes the case better than I ever could. We were dressed for a formal evening, standing beneath the warm light of crystal chandeliers, and somehow she still managed to make everything around her look secondary. Dawne has that kind of presence. She can walk into an elegant room without needing the room to announce her. I am standing beside her in a black suit trying to look like I belong there, while she looks completely at ease. That contrast makes me smile because it says something familiar about us. I have always felt fortunate to be the man stand…

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Joey Montes @jrm
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Close-up portrait of Joey wearing a black turtleneck against a dark background, looking directly into the camera with his hands clasped in front of him.

On August 4, 2026, I had a TLIF spinal fusion at L4-L5. TLIF stands for Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion. In simple terms, the procedure was performed to stabilize the L4-L5 level of my lower spine. The surgery involves placing an interbody cage and bone graft between the vertebrae, along with screws and rods that provide stability while the bones have time to fuse. Reading about spinal fusion is one thing. Going through it yourself is something entirely different. Surgery becomes a very real dividing line between what life looked like before the operation and what comes afterward. I am still moving through that process one day…

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Joey Montes @jrm
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LIFE editorial branding image featuring a red thread connecting the subject through a contemporary gallery, representing people, ideas, places and stories remaining connected.

I have spent a lot of time building this application, but somewhere along the way I realized I was building more than software. I was building a place for stories. The technology matters. The database matters. The architecture matters. The pages have to load, the links have to work, the publishing system has to be reliable, and the application has to be able to grow. But none of those things are the reason I kept working on it. The reason is much simpler. I wanted a place where people, ideas, photographs, experiences, and stories could remain connected. That idea is becoming the foundation of the new Wildwood. The applica…

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Joey Montes @jrm
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Medical illustration explaining TLIF L4-L5 spinal fusion with a sagittal lumbar spine view, posterior fusion construct with pedicle screws, rods, interbody cage and bone graft, and an axial view showing the transforaminal approach and nearby L4 and L5 nerve roots.

I wanted to share this graphic because it gives a clear look at what happens during a TLIF at L4-L5. TLIF stands for Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion. The procedure is designed to stabilize the segment between the L4 and L5 vertebrae while also creating more room for compressed nerves. The first view shows the lower lumbar spine from the side and highlights a degenerative, collapsed L4-L5 disc space. Changes at this level can contribute to instability, nerve compression, back pain, and pain that travels into the leg. The second view shows the fusion construct from the back. Pedicle screws are placed into L4 and L5 and connected…

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Joey Montes @jrm
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Close portrait in a black knit sweater during a long period of stroke recovery. Portrait in a vintage Coca-Cola shirt reflecting continued recovery and adaptation after a stroke. Portrait in a black leather jacket representing resilience during the continuing journey after a stroke.

My stroke did not end when I left the hospital. That may be one of the hardest things to explain about surviving one. There is the emergency itself, and then there is everything that comes afterward—the work of figuring out what changed, what may improve, what still needs to be retrained, and what may simply become part of your new normal. I still live with lasting effects. There is weakness and stiffness on my left side. My left leg does not always move as naturally as it once did, and I have had to consciously retrain it to walk with a more normal gait. Something I spent most of my life doing without thinking can now require attent…

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