Doctors reattach woman’s decapitated head; she’s alive and recovering
In this DML Report…
Megan King, a 35-year-old woman from Illinois, had her skull reattached to her spine after a 2005 football accident at age 16 left her with a condition known as Atlanto-occipital dislocation (AOD), or internal decapitation. The initial injury occurred during a gym class when she fell, detaching her skull from her spine. In 2015, she was diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), a genetic disorder affecting collagen production and causing joint instability, which worsened her condition. In 2016, while doctors attempted to remove a halo brace used to stabilize her neck, her skull nearly detached again, requiring immediate intervention.
The reattachment process involved 37 surgeries, culminating in a complex procedure where doctors fused King’s skull to her spine, extending the fusion down to her pelvis. This surgery, described as a medical feat, left her unable to move her head up, down, left, or right. King recounted to DailyMail that during the 2016 incident, her neurosurgeon had to physically hold her skull in place to prevent further detachment, and she tilted her chair back to use gravity to her advantage. She spent over a year on crutches following the initial injury and faced ongoing challenges due to her condition.
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No further incidents of detachment have been reported since the final surgery, though King’s mobility remains severely limited. Her case highlights the risks of hEDS and the challenges of treating rare spinal conditions like AOD, which is often fatal. Medical professionals involved in her care have not released detailed statements, but King’s story, shared via her Instagram account @thetravelinghaloofhope, underscores the importance of advanced surgical techniques in addressing such injuries. The exact timeline of her surgeries spans from 2005 to the most recent procedures, though specific dates for the final fusion were not disclosed.