Getting Decapitated – and living!
Shannon Malloy is one lucky person in my opinion. On January 25th when a car crash slammed her into the dashboard her skull separated from her spine. This would normally be fatal, but her skin, spinal cord, and other internal organs remained intact. Known as internal decapitation, this condition is rare and left her with no control over her head.
Dr. Gary Ghiselli, an orthopedic spine surgeon at the Denver Spine Center, said he and his colleagues had never seen such an injury in someone still living. Ghiselli said a will to survive kept Malloy, 30, alive long enough for surgeons to insert screws in her head and neck and attach a halo to minimize movement , no easy task. Her injuries left Malloy with nerve damage that made her eyes cross, and she has difficulty swallowing. She was not paralyzed. She told her story to Denver station KMGH-TV.
Wow – if one has to be decapitated I suppose this is the way to do it – if you want to live through it that is.
May 21st, 2007 at 11:53 am
All I have to say is Ouch!!