Because in a number of cases like Ronica’s, the patient’s surgery requires a posterior approach, the halo is indispensable in preventing further spinal cord injury during positioning, Dr. Vishteh stressed.

Ronica has a neat vertical scar down the back of her neck from her hairline to her collar, which is where Dr. Vishteh worked to place screws, dual rods and a crosslink to fixate from C1 to C4. He also harvested a bit of Ronica’s own hipbone to fuse the bone from the posterior side.

Dr. Vishteh noted that the posterior cranio-vertebral junction, the point where the head sits on the neck, was once a “no man’s land” for surgical instrumentation. It just wasn’t done.

“Advances in technique and instrumentation, however, now allow us to perform these kinds of surgeries,” he said. Dr. Vishteh, who has extensive experience in managing these problems, is quick to point out that in spite of these advances, a thorough anatomical knowledge of this vulnerable area is crucial to prevent devastating neurovascular injuries.

“Ronica’s second stage surgery went very well,” Dr. Vishteh said. But even though his work in the operating room was done, he stayed close to watch over Ronica.

Dr. Vishteh was just as compassionate to Ronica’s husband, she said. “Seth was a mess while I was in surgery,” Ronica said. “He was just devastated. When Dr. Vishteh came out, he asked what the odds were that I might recover. Dr. Vishteh told him there were no odds. He said I was going to be just fine. That meant everything to my husband.”

And it wasn’t just the doctor who was good. “I remember one day one of the nurses washed my hair for me and braided it,” Ronica said. “She treated me like more than a patient, like her own family. She was so nice. And Randy and Ella in physical therapy were so loving and supportive. Everyone was!”

Ronica was in ICU for six days and in the orthopedic unit for another five. After her neurosurgery was complete, orthopedic surgeon Dan Heller, MD, took her back to the OR to fix her leg, which has had a few complications. Her tibia, the larger of the two lower leg bones, developed an infection, which significantly slowed the healing process.

She spent three weeks in a skilled nursing facility after leaving the hospital. “It was a humbling experience,” Ronica said. “I have a family and I’m used to taking care of myself and doing for others. But I was helpless – I couldn’t wash my hair or brush my teeth. It is amazing that people are given the ability to care for others the way they cared for me.”

It’s been a long, slow recovery. But seven months after her crash, she “graduated” from her wheelchair to a walker and became able to pick up and carry little Seth, who’s getting bigger and more active by the day. “He’s got such a great disposition – he loves everyone. He’s another blessing in my life.”

Ronica looked forward to returning to work at Childhelp, a center for abused and neglected children. “They’re holding my job for me!”

Visit JCL.com/trauma, for more information about trauma services.