Discovery Bay man blazed trail for others with pioneering back surgery
From growing up in a house his father built in the middle of a walnut orchard to helping thousands of Americans regain mobility by undergoing experimental spine surgery overseas, Rider’s path reflects a lifetime of resilience, adaptability and drive. Now approaching his 70s, Rider says he measures success less by titles and more by impact. He is the father of two grown children and the grandfather of four.
“They are the light and purpose of my life,” Rider said.
Rider, who lives in Discovery Bay, grew up in Walnut Creek and says watching his father work left a lasting impression.
“I learned very early that my dad could build anything,” he said.
Rider says his youthful weekends were often spent on home improvement projects, reinforcing discipline and confidence. In 1967, he says his parents bought 5 acres near Lake Camanche (about 35 miles northeast of Stockton), where family weekends were divided between labor and leisure.
“Every weekend we were up there doing some projects but were always rewarded with a trip to the lake,” Rider said.
Before he even had a driver’s license, Rider entered the workforce. In the 1970s, he worked at a full-service Shell station on Walnut Creek’s Ygnacio Valley Road.
“Making money was always important to me, and I had no problem working for it,” he said.
The job required direct interaction with customers, from checking oil to washing windows.
“I really enjoyed greeting the customers and making my boss proud,” said Rider, who credits his father for instilling pride in his work and adds that “I never had any problem approaching customers, starting conversations or building relationships.”
Those skills carried over into a series of hands-on jobs in Walnut Creek and Lafayette, including work as a tow truck driver for AAA. Rider again said he was “always very comfortable interacting with customers.”
Over time, he says he recognized his ability to think strategically.
“As my careers progressed I came to realize that my intelligence was a real gift that I could use to advance myself,” he said, noting that his guiding principle became simple: “Work smarter, not harder.”
In 1978, a phone call from his sister altered Rider’s trajectory and led him to the phone company. The transition was difficult.
“Going from being in a truck all day by myself most of the time to being in an office full of service representatives with a supervisor looking over my shoulder at all times was horrible,” he said.
Although he hated the environment, Rider persevered and eventually moved into field work. Years later, after nearly being laid off, he made another pivotal decision.
“I decided I had better get a degree to secure my future,” Rider said. “Five years of night school and a bachelor’s and master’s degree did the trick.”
Rider says the events of Sept. 11, 2001, pushed Rider toward another turning point in his life, when he stepped away from constant travel, took a lower-paying local job and struggled with worsening back pain.
“I actually considered (going on) disability,” he said.
Rider says that while living in Medford, Oregon, a television news story caught his eye.
“Watching the news and hearing the words ‘disc replacement’ really got my attention.”
He says U.S. surgeons offered no solution, though, telling him he was “too young for surgery.” Rider says he later came to understand why: Fusion surgery often leads to additional operations as surrounding discs deteriorate.
“Now I realize that what he (Rider’s U.S. doctor) was saying was that you don’t want to get a fusion surgery in your 40s,” he said.
After months of research, Rider says he contacted Stenum Hospital in Germany, where artificial disc replacement was already being performed. When the hospital agreed to take him on, the cost was 24,000 euros. He became the hospital’s first American patient in 2003.
“Persistent, am I not?” Rider asks.
He says that after his recovery, hospital administrators asked for help connecting with other Americans and that he embraced the challenge.
“I told them to keep my private room available, that I was going to keep it full of American patients,” he said.
Over 23 years, he’s helped more than 3,000 patients travel to Germany for surgery, transforming the country’s Stenum Hospital into an international destination. Rider credits his wife, Diane Rider, with grounding him.
She describes him as “a very kind person” who didn’t let his past “bring him down. He let it lift him up.” Rider says her words changed him most — “you have nothing to prove,” she told him. Today, Rider lives by balance and integrity.
“Just do the right thing,” said Rider, who says he learned to sock away money wisely in a 401K account at the age of 23. As he prepares to attend Stenum’s 100th anniversary, retirement remains uncertain. He said he has no idea what comes next, unless it’s the upcoming weekend.
“I always worked hard to be the best at whatever my job was,” said Rider. “But if I could get off early on Friday and head up to the lake for boating or into the woods for fishing — I’m gone.”
Reach Charleen Earley, a freelance writer and journalism professor at Diablo Valley college, at charleenbearley@gmail.com or 925-383-3072.