‘Medical Miracle’: 2-Year-Old Survives ‘Internal Decapitation’
- Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:27pm by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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A two-year-old Arizona boy is being hailed as a “medical miracle” after surviving what doctors are calling a rare “internal decapitation” resulting from a car accident.
Doctors say Micah Andrews’s head essentially disconnected from his body when it jolted violently during the car accident involving his mother and sister. He was in a car seat at the time, and that may have saved his life.
ABC 15 reports:
Micah and his 4-year old sister were riding in the car with their mom when the family was involved a car crash near 67th Avenue and Broadway Road on August 4.
Heather and her daughter were OK, but Micah wasn’t moving.
The toddler was in a coma with brain damage and sustained a shocking injury — internal decapitation.
“This would be the worst injury that we could imagine,” Barrow Neurological Institute Dr. Nicholas Theodore told ABC News.
Barrow is part of Saint Joseph’s Medical Center.
The impact of the crash completely tore the ligaments that connect Micah’s skull to his spine. The only support he had was muscle and skin, and his spinal cord was unprotected.
The smallest movement could be fatal for the boy.
Moments before undergoing emergency surgery, Theodore gave the family a comforting message.
“He turned to us and said, I‘m going to operate on him as if I’m operating on my own child,” said Micah’s dad, John Andrews.
Doctors delicately used wire and a titanium rod to reattach Micah’s skull to his spine.
Four days after the surgery Micah came out of a coma and opened his eyes.
Despite some brain damage, he recognized his family.
ABC network news also reported on the incredible story:
Friends of the family have put together an inspiring video of little Micah:
They have also created a website where those interested can help the family financially and track Micah’s progress.



















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Comments (94)
sissykatz
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 5:26pmThank you God for another Miracle!! You make them haippen daily but some go unnoticed,Please continue to take care of this child,
Report Post »Anawynn13
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 5:26pmWhat a little sweetheart and an amazing doctor. I am so happy for Micah and his family.
Report Post »randy
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 5:19pm“He turned to us and said, I‘m going to operate on him as if I’m operating on my own child,” said Micah’s dad, John Andrews.
God Blessed that Dr.
Report Post »Rubicon
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 5:17pmMerry Christmas Micha Andrews!! God Bless you and your family.
Report Post »joelackey92
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:50pmJeez, what a horrible accident. I’ll be praying for the child.
Report Post »Mr.Citrus
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:36pmMy heart goes out to those brilliant doctors, Bless them all.
Report Post »wodiej
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:32pmWhat a miracle!
Report Post »Patrick in AZ
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:29pmI believe the first recorded case of someone surviving this injury also occured in Phoenix in 2004
Report Post »SlimnRanger
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:27pmi love a good story with a happy outcome thank you Jesus apparently you have a work for this child
Report Post »Snake
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:17pmWhy on earth are any of you falling for MOSSBRAIN?? Do you like egging him on so he will say even more stupid things? Some of you really need to slow down and see if your brain has anything to say before you mouth or fingers say stuff that make you look really stupid….
FAB!
Report Post »wodiej
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:32pmSo, you are lecturing us while being insulting like Mossbrain? That makes sense. NOT.
Report Post »SND97
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:16pmAll I can say is Praise GOD!!
Report Post »mankind7375
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:14pmAll I can say is WOW, my hopes and prayers to as full a recovery as possible.
Report Post »mcpbob
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:59pmamazing…. simply amazing… WE HAVE TO REPEAL OBAMA CARE BEFORE MIRACLES LIKE THIS BECOME RARE.
Report Post »Rn mom
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:56pmThere are miracles all around us, just take the time to see them. God bless this little child, I pray he recovers fully. God bless his family too, they are lucky to have been given this chance.
Report Post »Rn mom
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:02pmAnd God bless the doctors/nurses/ therapists and hospital for the work they have done. The surgeon cannot be forgotten, he/she went through decades of schooling and training to learn the technique and perfect his skill.
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 7:15pmRN Mom: agree this took a very high skill level and the heart to make it happen. Something Obamacare will trash……….
Report Post »Conserving Ink
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:55pmMiracles still happen, we just don’t notice them anymore unless they are this dramatic.
Report Post »____________________________________________________________
http://conserving-ink.blogspot.com/2010/12/political-flocking.html
Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:55pmCan you imagine the tragic outcome if Obamacare’s burger flipper patrol got his case?
Report Post »untameable-kate
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:47pmThank God, What a fantastic story, the doctor did a phenominal job. I have to go get a roll of paper towels and dry off my desk.
Report Post »DaveOregon
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:44pmIt’s a 2-year old child – and it‘s a mircle he’s alive. Stuff the other comments. The important part is he’s alive and doing well.
Report Post »limitfree
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:08pmWHY should we take such heroic measures, pay SO much, just to save ONE little life of a child???? Because we CAN.
Report Post »burnteye86
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:43pmLiberalism is ugly, isn’t it? That’s why it has to be destroyed and not compromised with.
Report Post »patriotwoman
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:24pmYou are so right. Liberals claim to be “open-minded“ and ”compassionate and caring”, but their comments betray the rot within. Mossforbrains has shown his true nature.
Report Post »wodiej
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:30pmIt certainly is. Every time one of them spews hate in an effort to shock, anger and hurt others, they are helping the rest of us realize why they should never be in control of anything. They seriously have something mentally wrong with them.
Report Post »Tim313
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:39pmGod Bless the United States free (as in not nationalized) health care system. Thank God the boy is safe, but sadly the system that saved him is not.
Report Post »pamela kay
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:38pmThis is a miracle and proof that this country has the best medical care in the world. God bless this little one and his family. The doctors and his team are true heros. Bless them all. God was watching over this child and the medical team that preformed this surgery. I was moved to tears by this story. My prayers are with this family.
Report Post »Tim313
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:37pmGod Bless the United States free health care system. Thank God the boy is safe, but the system that saved him is not.
Report Post »mossbrain
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:36pmDoctors advised the family against taking the kid on any roller coaster rides or letting the kid do bungee jumping for the next few weeks.
Rn mom
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:55pmSo what loss brain.
Report Post »PaxFelix
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:08pmGood safety tip. *Yawn*
Report Post »TonyDarrington
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:44pmPlease don’t feed the trolls. They feed on agitation and controversy. Just ignore it and it will get bored and go away.
Report Post »mossbrain
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:33pmDuct tape and rolled newspapers would have done the job just as good. Way to waste our money medical establishment. There better not be one cent of tax payer money spent on this leech to society.
mischiefman2000
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:49pmI think you are lost…aren’t you looking for huff and puff or perhaps the daily Komrade?
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:53pmLet’s hear it for the greedy bastard rich people….. Good thing they didn’t cut out his spleen or amputate anything external for the money – everyone knows that pays real good….
Mossbrain – The kid has insurance i presume but he would have gotten far better care without any, than he would under obamacare. Obamacare is as much a scam as Global warming, carbon exchanges and food control.. Doctors like these would be punching a clock under obamacare, assisted by hamburger flipper rejects.. That’s what obamacare is.. He would have to go to a back alley clinic for real care… Now let’s see you donate something to the website you greedy re-distributionist alinsky-ite acorn.seiu day paid hack (weasel)
Report Post »hillbillyinny
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:53pmHey moss-for-a-brain: This child may have the cure for cancer locked up in his brain! With good care, physical therapy and time, he may cure you or one of your children or grandchildren. Give him a break! God is Love.
Report Post »Rn mom
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:53pmYour name says it all about you, and your lack of knowledge about the insurance industry speaks for your age- Does mommy know you are on the computer? As far as the medical establishment wasting “our” money. Obamacare is not in use yet- so save your argument for a few years. Auto insurance pays for this, and the parents paid for the policy, so they are the ones to say how to spend the money.
Mossbrain is showing us in very real terms why medical care is not to be left in the government’s hands- then everyone feels like they have the “right” to gripe about how medical money is spent.
The problem with govt run medical care is that you have turned a privilege into a “right”- You want medical care, buy the insurance or save your money in a medical savings account. If it is more important to have a blackberry with internet, then you take your chances when it comes to your health. That’s all.
Report Post »FIREDUDE
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:58pmMOSSBRAIN are you that much of a total douchbag that you would say that about a child?????????????? I HOPE YOU SLEEP WELL AT NIGHT>>>>>>>>
Report Post »PaxFelix
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:07pmPlease ignore the painfully obvious bait from this troll. As you all surely know, it only encourages them.
Report Post »LibertarianLady
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:13pmMush for Brains. You better be very very glad it wasn’t your child or you would be singing a very different tune. Or maybe not, you would be too mushed to realize what a miracle it is. I sincerely hope your mother had you involuntarily sterilized so your genes cannot contiminate the gene pool.
Report Post »Andrew.TX.
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:16pmTrolls are supposed to be funny. . . .
Report Post »bobcansee
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 7:19pmI cant stop laughingat your bold cold mind. Leach on society…lol..you simple fck!
Report Post »Rrightwing80
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 10:11pman inocent childs life has been saved i belive that is worth whatever it costs. if you see new young life as some kind of a negative then you must be pro choice too, right
Report Post »AntiUSSA
Posted on December 16, 2010 at 2:21amsays the guy on welfare
Report Post »ozchambers
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:30pmHeroic doctors and divine intervention. God please help us from the loss of doctors like this if Obamacare is implemented.
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {mix art}
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:48pmAgreed, this is a TRUE miracle of God, via His help, and helping the doctors.
Report Post »thepatriotdave
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:51pmAmen.
PatriotShops.com
Report Post »DonnaA
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 3:54pmAmen!
Report Post »ZOMBIE JESUS LOVES ME
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:14pmGod, please don’t almost kill anymore children like this … or give them leukemia … or strike down anymore innocents with tsunamis. Amen.
NoDaDAZone
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:27pmWhat a miracle of medical science AND God. Under the “Complete Lives System” of Obamacare, his life would NOT have been saved.
Report Post »mtnclimberjim
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:35pmAmen
Report Post »MeteoricLimbo
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 4:44pmamen…
Report Post »davecoolworld
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 5:04pmThis little boy would not have done so well under Obamacare…the Doctors are the unsung heroes in this case. Only in America would this story have a happy ending.
Report Post »TXPilot
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 5:38pmThe free market has aided the development of the technology that saved this boys life…..Does anyone think, that if Obamacare comes into full effect, it won’t suck the innovation right out of our medical system? Or will it instead be all about sub-standard care and death panels?
Report Post »Indefiance
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 6:23pmThank the Doctor, he spent years studying to be able to accomplish this feat. It takes logic, reason, evidence, in a word: SCIENCE to accomplish these things. Thank Science this boy is alive!
Report Post »BOUGHT YOUR SILO YET?
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 7:01pmZombie- you have an interesting screen name:) I prayed your prayer too. I am literally bawling after watching this video. Children are my weakness. I thank God for skilled doctors and nurses and pray that we will always have such dedication even after Obamacare is put into full swing.
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 7:20pmGod has plans for this little guy. God bless him, his family and the doctor who did this miracle surgery.
Report Post »thradbore
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 10:13pmHere we go again. A “true miracle” and “divine intervention.” Fantastic that this child survived and is doing well given what happened, but enough with the “divine intervention/miracle” stuff. A miracle would be if the car rose in mid-air just before the crash and hovered there until the other car went past.
Report Post »Or if the child spontaneously grew a new spinal cord that instantly that reattached itself. A horrendous injury, a heroic surgery based on thousands of years of medical progress and science, and it succeeds in saving a life. Is that impossible or just unlikely and difficult? How many people died in car crashes today that didn’t qualify for Big Assistance from the Cloud Man? It’s amazing to me how people can delude themselves like this–if someone dies, it’s the mysterious Will of the Cloud Man, if it’s a bad crash and they live (fender benders don’t seem to count), then it’s a miracle. Religion wins either way–nice racket.
Very glad this turned out as it did, hopefully young Micah will not suffer long lasting damage from this horrible incident.
walkwithme1966
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 11:03pmWe are not going to lose doctors – that is an internet myth! http://maboulette.wordpress.com
Report Post »GIDDIONKANE
Posted on December 16, 2010 at 8:20amdeffinetly amirical!! and god given skill
Report Post »JKN
Posted on December 16, 2010 at 9:39amSuch an inspiring story… A little angel… Miracles do happen.
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