Like they say in Life of Brian...always look at the bright side of life!
Could be way worse, I got away quite "unharmed" with only a 7% less movement in my neck after the operation while I could have landed up in a wheelchair or under the ground.
I have a uncle that got pushed off the road by a truck while driving his motorcycle in France into a ravine breaking his lower spine in 7 places and he is in a wheelchair now.
So realising how lucky I was I mostly try to make it more a happy thought then something that would chase me all my life
It was a very rough period after it since I couldn't do anything after it otherwise if I would do something stupid I could fuck it up and end up in a wheelchair still.
So I have been unable to do anything like going to school, work, going out with friends etc for like 4 months...really was depressing for me...I felt fine but I had to wait until the doctors said I could do those things again.
But I look at it as a challenge that life offers sometimes and you gotta deal with it and look back at it as a memorable event in life.