14.04.2025 11:40
Megan King experienced a condition known as 'internal decapitation' due to a serious injury sustained during a soccer match in 2005. With the connection between her skull and spine damaged, King underwent more than 30 surgeries. In 2016, a metal support device was implanted in her skull to help her hold her head up. However, during the removal of the device, there was a risk of her skull separating from her spine again.
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The story of a woman named Megan King is an extraordinary example of the successes of modern medicine. In 2005, at just 16 years old, King fell during a soccer match and unknowingly suffered a very serious injury.
As a result of this fall, the connection between her skull and spine was damaged, and her shoulder muscles were torn. This condition, medically referred to as "atlanto-occipital dislocation," is more commonly known as "internal decapitation." In other words, although King's head was not visibly separated, it was almost detached from her body internally.
Over the years, King underwent more than 30 surgeries and had to live with crutches for a long time. However, despite the treatments, her condition continued to worsen. Her bone joints weakened, her muscles began to deteriorate, and she suffered from constant severe pain.
Initially, doctors could not understand why she was unable to heal. However, exactly 10 years after the accident, in 2015, she was diagnosed with "hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome." This rare genetic disorder prevents the proper production of collagen, which holds the bones together in the body.
In 2016, a metal support device (halo brace) was directly screwed into her skull to help her hold her head up. However, during the removal of this device, there was a risk of her skull separating from her spine again. King recalls this moment, saying, "My neurosurgeon had to hold my skull in place with his hands."
Doctors saved her life by performing an emergency surgery to securely attach her skull to her spine. After a total of 37 surgeries, King’s skull was fused to her entire spine down to her pelvis. This procedure is called "spinal fusion," and King can no longer move her head in any direction.
Now 35 years old, King describes her condition: "I am literally a human statue. My spine does not move at all. But that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped living."
King's story highlights both the challenges of battling a rare medical condition and the life-saving successes of modern medicine.
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