I did a photo shoot in the St. Joseph Hospital and Medical Center’s Healing Gardens with Heather and Micah Andrews. What made this shoot so incredible was there story.
Heather and Micah were involved in a serious motor vehicle accident in August of 2010. Micah suffered a life threatening injury called occipitoatlantal dislocation. This is when the upper cervical spine becomes detached from the skull. In layperson terms it’s an internally decapitated. After his life saving surgery and months in the hospital Micah is doing well and is expected to fully recover.
While, I photographed Micah interacting with his mother he seemed so normal. He was like any other three year old boy with his mom. He showed little signs of trauma at all.
Micah life was saved due to a series of events that eventually gave Barrow Neurosurgeon Dr. Theodore a chance to operate. At the accident scene Heather stabilized Micah’s head and neck immediately after the accident. The first responders who treated him at the scene also stabilized him. Any movement of his head could have ended his life right there. It’s a testimony of excellence to our cities firefighters, paramedics and EMT’s.
Micah’s, Barrow neurosurgeon Dr. Nicholas Theodore performed the surgery and placed a titanium rod, wires and piece of Micah’s rib to reattach his head to his spine.
Andrew’s said, she is so grateful to Dr. Theodore and to have Micah alive and well.
