Benny Bee

A turnaround: Benny Bee has renewed energy and proves it on an energetic run in beautiful Montana. Friends say his energy is reflective of his personality.

It looked ominous for Benny Bee Sr., 61, in October 2005. Bad enough, he says, that he called his kids to say goodbye — in case he didn't make it through high risk neurosurgery.

Bee, who owns six radio stations in Montana, began experiencing pain and unusual numbness in August. At his family's urging, he sought help from Mayo Clinic. He called Dr. Kenneth Kearns, Whitefish, Mont. Kearns is president of the Medical Research Foundation, which serves as an advocate for patients in need of finding timely medical care for serious conditions. Dr. Kearns took Bee's call and arranged for an appointment at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

Thus began the totally unplanned odyssey for Benny Bee, beginning with his unexpected collapse in the Emergency Department at Mayo. "I was paralyzed. I couldn't walk," he keenly recalls. The staff immediately placed an urgent call to Dr. Richard Zimmerman, neurosurgeon, who, by sheer luck for Bee, was completing a surgery just a few floors above the Emergency Department. Dr. Zimmerman, recognized internationally for his skill and expertise, reviewed the medical tests, after which the news was delivered to Bee that he required emergency surgery.

Within what seemed like a matter of minutes, Bee — who fully admits he was nervous about the surgery but yet worried about keeping his business going — was prepped and wheeled into the operating room. Importantly, he first placed calls to his family. "Just in case," he admits. He also says he made an effort to replace his apprehension with hope. and to "put his trust in God," since his faith is a big part of his life.

Using microsurgical skills and instruments developed at Mayo, Dr. Zimmerman and his neurosurgical colleague, Dr. Naresh Patel, performed the exacting surgery required to remove a growth that was crushing Bee's spinal cord, causing his pain and paralysis.

The following morning Bee awoke, not knowing if he was still paralyzed, or, for that matter, if he would even live to see his family and resume his career. The news was good. "No, the news was great!" Bee corrects. Not only would he live, he was expected to make a full recovery. In fact, it would be his destiny to walk out of Mayo Clinic Hospital only three days later.

With obvious pride, Bee reports, "I progressed from a wheel chair to a walker to a cane." Now he not only walks, but is an avid jogger, particularly in the cooler climate of Whitefish, Mont., where he spends summers. During the somewhat severe winters of Montana, Bee and his wife, Lucy, live in Scottsdale, Ariz. As a broadcast executive, he not only owns radio stations, but hosts a talk show that covers topics related to current events, politics and local issues in Montana.

He admits to enjoying the good life by living in two beautiful areas of the country and by doing what he loves - being fully engaged in the broadcast business. He broadcasts from a studio in Montana and also from his Scottsdale home, where he is able to hook up to continue as a host/commentator on his talk show.

Most of all, he is grateful to Dr. Kearns for getting him an appointment, and to Dr. Zimmerman and the entire staff, who, he says, "saved my life."