Megan King of Illinois went through a harrowing medical experience when her skull separated internally from the spine during a freak football incident in 2005. The then-16-year-old fainted on the field and fell victim to the condition known as ‘internal decapitation’ which left her struggling to live.
Even though she had over 30 surgeries and used crutches for over a year, King’s condition was not well understood for years. It was only due to the intensity of her injuries and the debilitating pain she went through that the doctors finally diagnosed her with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), a rare inherited disorder that disallows the formation of collagen, a crucial element responsible for holding joints and tissues together.
King explained that her condition made her bone joints weaken and muscles tear, leading to ‘unbearable pain’.
A Near-Fatal Complication
The Sun reported that King was forced to wear a halo brace, a metal frame outside her head screwed directly into her skull to stabilize her head. But when the device was removed, her skull almost became totally separated from her spine, a life-threatening condition called Atlanto-occipital dislocation (AOD).
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It’s a chilling recall recounted to DailyMail, by King, when he said, “I powered my chair home to prevent gravity from chopping me in half. My neurosurgeon literally had to grab my skull to hold it for me. I couldn’t sit up. I was shaking all over on one side.”
A ‘Horror Show’
Physicians immediately conducted emergency spinal fusion surgery, where parts of the spine are permanently fused to eliminate mobility. King called it a ‘horror show’ as she woke up after surgery without being able to move her head whatsoever.
Now, having spent a total of 37 operations, Megan King has finally had her skull fused back onto her spine in a medical miracle that not only saved her life but also demonstrated her unstoppable determination.
