Suleiman Hassan, a 12-year-old boy from the West Bank, suffered an “internal beheading” in connection with a traffic accident. This week, the hospital in Jerusalem announced that it had successfully attached the head to the vertebrae of the spine in what was described as an extremely rare operation.
– Thanks to you, he was able to keep his life even though the odds were small and the danger obvious, says the boy’s father to the Israeli news agency TPS, reports the New York Post.
It was when Suleiman Hassan was out cycling that a car suddenly hit him. After the accident, he was rushed to Hadassah Medical Center where it was determined that his head had dislodged from the upper vertebrae of his spine.
He was then taken to surgery in the trauma unit where doctors further determined that his head was “almost completely separated from the base of his neck,” reports the New York Post.
The operation took several hours
Ohad Einav, the orthopedic specialist who led the operation, says that the procedure took several hours and that they managed to save the 12-year-old’s life thanks to the skills of the medical team and “the most innovative technology in the operating room”.
According to the medical staff, the boy’s recovery is nothing short of a miracle.
– The fact that the child has no neurological deficits or any sensory or motor dysfunction, and that he functions normally and walks without aids after such a long process, is no small thing, says Ohad Einav, emphasizing that operations like this are “extremely rare “.
– This is not a common operation at all, especially not on children and teenagers. A surgeon needs knowledge and experience to be able to do this, he says according to the New York Post.
Father: God bless you
Suleiman Hassan was recently released from the hospital, but doctors will continue to monitor his recovery. News agency TPS reports that the 12-year-old’s father did not leave his son’s side once during the hospital stay.
– What saved him was professionalism, technology and quick decision-making by the trauma and orthopedics team, the father tells TPS.
– God bless you.