Skip Navigation
Book Now! Find care near you Find care near you Find care near you
wellstar-logo
Wellstar Go Back
Go to MyChart

Questions? We can help!

Call (770) 956-STAR (7827)

Monday - Friday, 7 AM - 4:30 PM

Contact Us
For Patients & Families For the Community For Providers About Us Careers
  • Start Your Care

  • Find a Doctor
  • Find a Location
  • Our Services
  • Virtual Visits
  • Planning

  • Accepted Insurance
  • Hospital Payment Planning
  • Financial Assistance
  • Pricing Information
  • Before Your Visit

  • Sign Up for MyChart
  • Visitation Guidelines
  • While You're Here

  • Support & Entertainment
  • Join an Event
  • After Your Visit

  • Pay Your Bill
  • Get Medical Records
  • Contact us
  • COVID-19 Support

  • COVID-19 Information
  • Vaccines
  • Testing Information
  • Foundation Relief
  • Community Care

  • In the Community
  • Health Highlights
  • Community Health Needs Assessment
  • Latest News
  • Center for Health Equity
  • Wellstar Find Help
  • Events & Programs

  • Events Calendar
  • On-Demand Classes
  • Support Groups
  • Give

  • Wellstar Foundation
  • Donate
  • Ways to Give
  • Thank a Caregiver
  • West Georgia
    Health Foundation
  • Volunteer

  • PeopleCare Advisory Council
  • For Adults
  • Care

  • Transfer a Patient
  • Cures Act
  • Refer a Patient
  • Lab Test Directory
  • Request to Conduct Research
  • Connect

  • Physician Relations
  • Request Imaging Services
  • Wellstar Clinical Partners
  • Wellstar Medical Group
  • Mayo Clinic Care Network
  • Medical Staff Services
  • Provider Recruitment
  • Log In

  • EpicCare Link
  • Lawson Connect
  • MyID Password Reset
  • Citrix Access
  • Leadership

  • Authority Board
  • Board Of Trustees
  • Foundation Board
  • Regional Health Boards
  • Executive Leadership
  • Awards, Recognition & Safety

  • Accreditation & Certifications
  • Awards & Recognition
  • Safety First Program
  • Nursing
  • Careers at Wellstar

  • Apply now
  • Upcoming virtual events
  • Why Wellstar?
  • Nursing Careers

  • Nursing (Direct Care)
  • Nursing Leadership
  • Nursing (Non-bedside)
  • Nursing Support
  • Physician, APP & Clinical Careers

  • Advanced Practice Providers (APPs)
  • Allied Health Professionals
  • Homecare & Hospice
  • Physicians
  • Support Team Careers

  • Administrative & Clerical
  • Coding, Compliance & HIM Systems
  • Facility, Environmental & Nutrition/Food Services
  • Information Technology & Systems
  • For Patients & Families
  • For the Community
  • For Providers
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Search Search Search
  • MyChart MyChart MyChart

Start Your Care

Find a DoctorFind a LocationOur ServicesVirtual Visits

Planning

Accepted InsuranceHospital Payment PlanningFinancial AssistancePricing Information

Before Your Visit

Sign Up for MyChartVisitation Guidelines

While You're Here

Support & EntertainmentJoin an Event

After Your Visit

Pay Your BillGet Medical RecordsContact us

COVID-19 Support

COVID-19 InformationVaccinesTesting InformationFoundation Relief

Community Care

In the CommunityHealth HighlightsCommunity Health Needs AssessmentLatest NewsCenter for Health EquityWellstar Find Help

Events & Programs

Events CalendarOn-Demand ClassesSupport Groups

Give

Wellstar FoundationDonateWays to GiveThank a CaregiverWest Georgia
Health Foundation

Volunteer

PeopleCare Advisory CouncilFor Adults

Care

Transfer a PatientCures ActRefer a PatientLab Test DirectoryRequest to Conduct Research

Connect

Physician RelationsRequest Imaging ServicesWellstar Clinical PartnersWellstar Medical GroupMayo Clinic Care NetworkMedical Staff ServicesProvider Recruitment

Log In

EpicCare LinkLawson ConnectMyID Password ResetCitrix Access
About Wellstar

Our patients are the center of everything we do. We're nationally ranked and locally recognized for our high-quality care, inclusive culture, exceptional doctors and caregivers, and one of the largest and most integrated healthcare systems in Georgia.

About Us

Leadership

Authority BoardBoard Of TrusteesFoundation BoardRegional Health BoardsExecutive Leadership

Awards, Recognition & Safety

Accreditation & CertificationsAwards & RecognitionSafety First ProgramNursing

Careers at Wellstar

Apply nowUpcoming virtual eventsWhy Wellstar?

Nursing Careers

Nursing (Direct Care)Nursing LeadershipNursing (Non-bedside)Nursing Support

Physician, APP & Clinical Careers

Advanced Practice Providers (APPs)Allied Health ProfessionalsHomecare & HospicePhysicians

Support Team Careers

Administrative & ClericalCoding, Compliance & HIM SystemsFacility, Environmental & Nutrition/Food ServicesInformation Technology & Systems
Questions? We can help!

Call (770) 956-STAR (7827)

Monday - Friday, 7 AM - 4:30 PM

Contact Us
Close
  • Schedule With This Provider
  • Schedule At This Location
  • Schedule With This Provider
  • Schedule At This Location
  • Urgent Care
  • Primary Care
  • Virtual Care
  • Emergency Care
Close Close Close Book Now Menu
  • Schedule With This Provider
  • Schedule At This Location
  • Schedule With This Provider
  • Schedule At This Location
  • Urgent Care
  • Primary Care
  • Virtual Care
  • Emergency Care

Introducing

Wellstar Virtual Care

Access Wellstar healthcare providers
wherever you are.

Get started

Warning Warning Our "Book Now" feature should not be used for life threatening conditions such as heart attack, severe injury, poisoning, chest pain, or stroke. If you are experiencing such conditions, STOP and CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or visit your nearest Emergency Department.

I Understand
  • Home
  • Articles
  • Conquering Pain with Spine Surgery at Wellstar North Fulton Hospital
Article Category: Highlights

Conquering Pain with Spine Surgery at Wellstar North Fulton Hospital

Published on September 28, 2021

Last updated 11:18 AM September 28, 2021

Person with back pain

With minimally invasive spine surgeries and compassionate, expert caregivers, Wellstar’s spine patients are returning to their routines, pain-free.

Brenda Hawkins was having problems with her neck, and it got to the point where she couldn’t lift her arms above her head. 

As her issues got progressively worse, she sought care from neurosurgeons who were unable to treat her. Then, she went to Wellstar North Fulton Hospital, where she not only found a solution, but a true healthcare partner.

Dr. Basheer Shakir, a neurosurgeon at Wellstar North Fulton Hospital, specializes in spine and neck procedures that are minimally invasive, reducing recovery time for patients. Through the front of Brenda’s neck, he was able to remove discs that were pinching her nerves and causing neck and arm pain. She went home from the hospital the next morning.

A few months later, Brenda found herself struggling with a lower back issue that made it hard to walk. She returned to Dr. Shakir, who presented her with another option that was minimally invasive. This time, he did a procedure through the side of her spine to decompress her nerves and fuse her lumbar spine. She was able to walk out of the hospital three days later.

Brenda said Dr. Shakir is "such a great person and did a great job.”

“He's very personable. I just wanted to walk again, and he enabled me to do that,” she said.

Brenda is one of many patients who have benefited from spine surgery at Wellstar North Fulton Hospital. Spine surgery doesn’t just fix back pain — it can also address issues including weakness, loss of dexterity, numbness, bowel or bladder issues and improper posture. 

Solutions for long-term pain

Liz Helgesen had been dealing with low back pain for 20 years. She couldn’t sit for long periods of time, travel on long car rides or get dressed and put shoes on, and she was experiencing muscle spasms after performing simple tasks. To deal with the pain, she had tried several methods including exercise, yoga, physical therapy, dry needling and medication.

Dr. Shakir was also able to help Liz, performing a procedure to shave the bone and make room for the nerves that were being compressed.

Just three months after her surgery, Liz is able to turn and bend without back pain, and she has told her friends and other healthcare providers about how Dr. Shakir has helped her live more comfortably. 

Finding a healthcare family after injury 

Jeff Chandler has also been able to recover with the help of Dr. Shakir and the team at North Fulton. When Jeff fell off a roof last year, he snapped his pelvis in half and broke his ribs and right shoulder. His July 2020 surgery rebuilt his pelvis and sacrum, stabilized his lower spine and decompressed the nerves. 

Jeff said his inpatient rehabilitation care team at North Fulton became like family as he began recovery. He’s now able to walk again with no support after the surgery done by Dr. Shakir. 

“Dr. Shakir is great. He is kind, encouraging and realistic — which can be scary, but he is very thorough and a good listener,” Jeff said. “He focuses on the bright side of things and did an awesome job in surgery. He is confident and comfortable.”

Wellstar’s expert neurosurgeons can help stop pain, reduce spine degeneration and help you get back to your everyday routine.

“North Fulton offers state-of-the-art procedures and all modern, minimally invasive techniques that allow operations to be done outpatient or with a very short hospital stay with speedy recovery,” Dr. Shakir said.

To make an appointment with Dr. Shakir and find out if spine surgery is the solution for you, call (770) 664-9600. 

Tags

Basheer Ahmed Shakir North Fulton Medical Center Spine Surgery
NF - Spine and Pain Neuro Care
Related Articles
Illustration of baseball with ribbon and bats. Text reads "Strike out cancer"

Highlights

Commemorate Cancer Survivors Day with Wellstar

Wellstar supports people with cancer throughout their journeys, from early screenings to diagnosis to treatment. But our encouragement and dedication to delivering world-class, compassionate care doesn’t end in remission.

Across our system, Wellstar honors the bravery and strength of survivors every day, rejoicing in each milestone. This National Cancer Survivors Day, June 1, 2025, we are proud to pay tribute to the people who have conquered cancer and offer hope to those still fighting. This year’s Cancer Survivors Day theme—Strike Out Cancer—exemplifies our commitment to being a steadfast source of encouragement for cancer survivors and fighters across Georgia.

“On Cancer Survivors Day, we reflect on our patients’ journeys and cherish victories over cancer. We also offer compassion and support for people currently fighting cancer, so they and their loved ones know they’re not alone,” said Wellstar Director of Oncology Professional Practices Melissa Higdon.

Several Wellstar facilities will host events—and you can be a part of the celebration!

 

Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers in Cartersville
June 5, 2025
10 AM to 3 PM
100 Market Place Blvd., Cartersville
Contact Mary Ellen Smither at [email protected] or (678) 858-1146.

Wellstar Cobb Medical Center
May 30, 2025
12 to 2 PM     
4040 Hospital West Drive, Austell
Behind the building in the garden and parking lot area
Contact Ashley Dapremont at [email protected] or (470) 732-4523.

Wellstar Douglas Medical Center
June 7, 2025
11 AM to 2 PM
8954 Hospital Drive, Douglasville
Surgical services lobby
Contact Diane Harris at [email protected] or (470) 644-5411.

Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center
June 7, 2025
11 AM to 2 PM
320 Kennestone Hospital Blvd., Marietta
First floor
Required RSVP, contact Nancy Page at [email protected] or (470) 793-7470.

Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center
June 1, 2025
2 to 4 PM
3000 Hospital Blvd., Roswell
Main lobby in hospital
Contact Sarah Bentley at [email protected] or (770) 751-2556.

Wellstar Paulding Medical Center
June 1, 2025
144 Bill Carruth Parkway, Hiram
Second floor auditorium
Contact Kellie Mitchell at [email protected] or (470) 644-8106.

Wellstar Spalding Medical Center
May 28, 2025
12 to 2 PM
Drive-thru event
608 South 8th St., Griffin
Women’s Center
Contact Sherry Connell at [email protected] or (470) 935-5526.

Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center
June 6, 2025
10 AM to 12 PM
111 Medical Drive, LaGrange
Enoch Callaway Cancer Center
Contact Stephanie Hand at [email protected].

Learn more about cancer care at Wellstar.

Keep reading
Cindy cutting vegetables in her home kitchen

PeopleCare

CindyCare

To say Cindy Mejia is “busy” is an understatement. 

She’s constantly crunching numbers as an accounting manager for a large research institute, trying out new recipes in her kitchen at her Roswell home, or trying to keep up with her little granddaughter (who just discovered how much fun it is to run).

But one Wednesday in September, Cindy woke up and reached for her computer, trying to get an early start to her workday. She felt a little groggy and couldn’t remember her password but didn’t immediately realize something was wrong.

Then she stood up. Her right arm and leg weren’t functioning, and that’s when Cindy knew what was happening—she was having a stroke.

“The first thing I thought was, ‘I need to get to Wellstar North Fulton right away,’” Cindy said. “I knew the hospital was nearby and has a good reputation.”

That decision ultimately saved her brain and life.

For Cindy, the critical care she needed was close to home, too—she lives four miles from Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center. There, her care team sprang into action, bringing her the treatment and peace of mind in a moment of crisis.

“From then on, I felt well taken care of,” Cindy said. “I was relieved, and I knew I was going to be OK.”

 

Cindy's close-to-home 'pit crew'

When a patient has a stroke, every second matters. Each minute that ticks by could be the difference between a permanent stroke and a return to routine. So at North Fulton, Cindy’s care team assembled quickly to save her brainpower.

“We’re like the pit crew on a NASCAR team,” said Dr. Ed Malcom, an emergency medicine physician at Wellstar North Fulton. “We have our emergency stroke care response down to a science. Everyone knows their role and works together to act quickly.”

Cindy was one of the first patients at Wellstar North Fulton to benefit from the hospital’s new addition to its stroke program. While the hospital has been a primary stroke center for years, the introduction of thrombectomies at the hospital gives patients a close-to-home, life-saving option for stroke care—saving them both time and brainpower.

A thrombectomy is a minimally invasive procedure used to unclog an artery, restoring blood flow to the brain and preventing further damage. It does not involve cutting of the brain but instead starts with the insertion of a catheter through the patient’s groin.

“Recently, we’ve developed our own capability right here in the North Fulton area to pull the clot out of the brain. That’s a giant leap forward,” Dr. Malcom explained. “It's good for the whole state because there's only a handful of hospitals that do that, and it's good for the residents that live in that North Fulton area to have a hospital so close. They don't have to take a helicopter ride somewhere to get that procedure done. It saves time.”

For Cindy, having that procedure just a few miles from her home, right when she needed it, helped save her brain function.

“If Cindy would have gone to a different hospital that didn't provide this care, then it would have been a long time before she was able to have blood flow restored to the brain,” Wellstar Neurosurgeon Dr. Benjamin Zussman said, explaining how critical each section was when it came to Cindy’s care. “The delay could have been 30 minutes or even an hour, and it's possible that she would have had permanent stroke, permanent damage to her brain instead of making the recovery she did.”

Offering thrombectomies at Wellstar North Fulton has brought long-needed stroke services to the area north of Atlanta, so patients like Cindy don’t have to travel into the city through busy traffic to get the treatment they need. 

Proximity to care is especially important for critical situations like strokes, said Dr. Rishi Gupta, director of stroke care at Wellstar.

“Any disease that is time-sensitive where patients need to get to the hospital quickly, get treated quickly—the geography is everything, particularly in bad weather when helicopters cannot fly,” he said, explaining how logistics can impact life-saving stroke care. “We need to be able to provide services in the communities the patients reside and the North Fulton program is uniquely positioned to do that.”

Signs of a stroke can include a loss of balance, dizziness, blurry vision or sudden vision loss, drooping in the face, arm or leg weakness, and difficulty speaking. Patients who experience any of those symptoms should call 911 and seek medical care right away. 

Cindy said she is glad she got to the hospital as soon as she could—“I am so thankful that I took quick action and that I had Wellstar so close.” At Wellstar North Fulton, she not only received the highest level of stroke care. Wellstar takes a multidisciplinary approach to stroke care, including specialists such as critical care specialists, neurologists, neurointerventionalists and physical therapists on the care team. 

“When you're feeling pretty healthy, you don't think a stroke can happen to you. It happens so quickly. You don't necessarily get a warning,” Cindy said, sharing the importance of listening to your body’s signals when it comes to health. “You can feel one way one day or one minute, and the next minute, it changes.”

Keep reading
Illustration of fruits and vegetables, people exercising, checklist on clipboard

Highlights

Reducing Your Risk of a Stroke

While strokes have become relatively common—more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—many risk factors for stroke can be managed in partnership with your healthcare team.

Managing your risk factors

Factors that can increase your risk of experiencing a stroke include:

High blood pressure

Hypertension, or elevated blood pressure, increases the risk of a stroke. Stay up to date on your annual physicals to know your blood pressure levels, and if you have hypertension, talk to your clinician about managing it. “High blood pressure is the most modifiable risk factor, meaning it’s the one that is most treatable and has the most impact on one’s risk,” said Wellstar Neurologist Dr. Ashis Tayal. “It is vastly underdiagnosed and when it is treated, it’s often undertreated.”

High cholesterol

Elevated cholesterol can lead to plaque buildup in the blood vessel and clotting in the blood, which can cause a stroke if the clot travels and blocks blood flow to the brain. Your primary care team can help you monitor your cholesterol with a blood test and manage levels with medications or lifestyle changes.

Diabetes

People with diabetes are at increased risk of experiencing a stroke. Talk to your clinician about diabetes screenings. If you are diabetic, discuss managing the condition in partnership with your care team.

Smoking 

“Cigarettes accelerate atherosclerosis, or clogging in the arteries, and cause inflammation in blood vessels that then increases people’s risk of stroke and heart attack,” Dr. Tayal said. 

Atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation, a heart arrhythmia, can cause clots that then travel to the brain, leading to a stroke, according to Dr. Tayal.

While many of these risk factors can be controlled through medication or lifestyle changes in partnership with your care team, other risk factors for stroke are out of a person’s control. People of any age can experience a stroke, but stroke risk increases with age.

The risk of having a first stroke is nearly twice as high for Black adults as for white adults, and Black adults and Pacific Islander adults have the highest rates of death from stroke, according to the CDC. Hypertension is more common in Black patients, Dr. Tayal noted. People in rural communities may also experience higher rates of stroke due to limited access to healthcare and nutritious foods, he added.

To help lower stroke rates in our communities, Wellstar Community Health will distribute around 75 blood pressure cuffs in 2025 and educate community members about stroke risk and blood pressure monitoring at Wellstar Mobile Markets. The blood pressure cuffs can be used to monitor blood pressure at home so patients can work with their providers to take action against hypertension.

Recognizing a stroke

Learn the warning signs of a stroke, and if you notice any of these in yourself or someone else, be fast and call 911 right away. 

Balance

Look for a sudden loss of balance or coordination. This can also appear as a sudden, severe headache or dizziness.

Eyes

Blurred vision, double vision or loss of vision can be signs of a stroke. If you think someone else may be having a stroke, ask if they are having trouble seeing out of one or both eyes.

Face

One side of the face may be feeling numb or appear to be drooping. Ask the person to smile and see if it appears uneven.

Arms

Check for sudden arm weakness or numbness. See if the person can lift both arms without one drifting downward.

Speech

Watch out for slurred speech or difficulty speaking. Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence to find out if they are having trouble talking.

Time

The more treatment is delayed, the more the brain is damaged. Don’t wait to seek care. If you notice any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately.

Learn more about stroke care at Wellstar.

Keep reading
Back to Top
Branding illustration
Wellstar Logo
More than healthcare. PeopleCare.
Branding illustration
For Job Seekers & Team
Careers Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging Onboarding
For Students
Students Portal
Graduate Medical Education
Medical Residency Pharmacy Residency
For Business
Corporate Purchasing
For the Media
Media Room Community Health Needs Assessment
Help
Contact Us Pay Your Bill Policy & Privacy Information Hospital Transparency Information Price Transparency
For Job Seekers & Team
Careers Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging Onboarding
For Students
Students Portal

Graduate Medical Education
Medical Residency Pharmacy Residency
For Business
Corporate Purchasing
For the Media
Media Room Community Health Needs Assessment
Help
Contact Us Pay Your Bill Policy & Privacy Information Hospital Transparency Information Price Transparency

Copyright © 2025 Wellstar Health System. All Rights Reserved.

Wellstar does not discriminate on, exclude people or treat them differently on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity or expression or any other type of discrimination prohibited by law.

Cookie Preferences

We use cookies for booking and general analytics. Learn more about our internet privacy policy.