While playing high school football in Texas in the late 70's, i blacked out when tackling someone head on. i was hospitalized and told i had a broken neck. 3 days, and 100 x-rays later, I was told i was born with a bone malformation of the upper spine. although it was considered unstable, I lived my life as though there was nothing wrong. At the age of 40 i survived a 70 mile an hour head on collision. Doctors discovered the spinal condition had deteriorated considerably. Since the condition involved the spinal cord passing through c1 and the skull, my heart rate, breathing, swallowing, were becoming paralysed, as well as the left side of the body.
the problem was that no neurosurgeon would attempt the procedure since it is spinal as well as cranial. One of the better surgeon suggested i try to hold out to years during which time surgery would hopefully progress to the point of correcting the problem. Since I found it harder to swallow, and my breathing would occasionally fail, my wife was terrified that she would lose me. then things got worse.
My youngest daughter developed severe migraines. After trying many treatments, the doctors performed a ct scan and found a massive aneurysm wrapped 270 degrees around the main artery going to the brain, and 9 mm in size The doctors were not optimistic that an easy solution could be found. Because of the location, surgery was not an option. the treatment would have to be done intravenously. one stint was placed in position, coils were placed into the outer part of the aneurysm, but only 30 percent could be placed because the view was obscured because of the 3 dimensional position of the aneurysm. The doctors considered a second stint through the first as a last attempt to stop the growth. then things got worse.
this same daughters youngest son was determined to have tetrology of fallow, a heart condition that is deadly without surgery. I grieved for my wife as much as anyone since she stood to lose her husband of 30 years, her baby daughter, and her youngest grandson that never did anything but laugh and smile. He is literally the happiest baby ever.
We prayed. My daughter went first. After going in for the 3rd time the doctors explained that they would do nothing but try to map a plan for the next step. they needed detailed images, and so went into the artery with dyes and imaged. This man came out 1 hour later with tears in his eyes. the aneurysm had clotted completely with only one stint and 30 percent coiling. He hesitated to use the word healed, but said there would be no use in looking at the aneurysm again for 5 years. If it showed no change, she would be considered healed and would never have to have it examined again. that was 2 years ago.
I was refereed to a doctor in Dallas. we live in Seattle. He is considered one of the best neurosurgeons in the country. He said we could not wait to fix this. it would kill me. He also said he was incapable of performing the surgery himself. We then went to Swedish in Seattle, and met a surgeon who had been training under the top spinal/cranial surgeon in the country and considered by many in the world. he worked under him for 6 years to someday replace him. He was cocky enough to say he was probably the only guy in the pacific NW to do my surgery, and that Swedish just installed the first ct scan in surgery in the country. While doing my procedure, another surgeon would operate the ct scan. We did the procedure 3 weeks ago. they removed part of c1, some of the skull, placed a plate on the skull, placed a bar on the plate down to c5and c6 where they were screwed into place. removed a rib, sliced it lengthwise, placed it on either side of the metal bar. placed bone pulp around the rib bone. When I came to, i could feel my left side, swallow perfectly, and have had no breathing problems since. the doctor said "of course not, the pressure on the nerves have been removed"
Our grandson went into surgery 5 days ago, the procedure went perfectly, and today I went there in person and saw him smile as big as ever.
Never give up. Always believe in the best. And never be afraid to believe God listens to prayers.