SoCal Flipbooks

6 | Health Matters: Providence Holy Cross Medical Center From Quadriplegic to Mobile Again Doctors at Providence Holy Cross change lives with the miracle of neurosurgery advancements and fierce determination O n August 5, 2021, Lizeth "Liz" Gomez, a 31-year-old mother of two from Porter Ranch, was driving her Range Rover. Distracted, she suddenly lost control of the vehicle and it spun off a 150-foot embankment. When paramedics found her totaled car, they were shocked to discover that she was alive. Gomez was unable to move, so with tremendous care, they transported her to the Providence Holy Cross center. MRI and CT scans showed Gomez not only had broken her neck but had suffered an internal decapitation. "Anyone looking at the scan could not help but assume that she would be quadriplegic for the remainder of her life. The X-rays revealed her spine was severed," says Jasvinder S. Nangiana, MD, director of neurosurgery at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center. She was taken into surgery immediately, and Dr. Nangiana realigned her head—which had fallen forward—and carefully connected it to her spine without causing any further trauma to the spinal cord. Even with advancements in neurosurgery, this was not an easy procedure, as any manipulation of the neck during surgery could have resulted in "irreversible injury" to the spinal cord, thus eliminating any chance of functional recovery. "In addition to the fracture, all her spinal ligaments were disrupted, so we had to perform a 360-degree fusion to stabilize her neck," explains Dr. Nangiana. "The severity of the injuries pointed to the intense forces involved in the accident. Later, when I saw pictures of the vehicle, I could not believe anyone could have survived such a horrific crash." While research has demonstrated the existence of limited neuronal plasticity—the ability of the body to bypass neuronal injury and develop new pathways for communicating— certainly nobody could have anticipated the progress Gomez made.

• Cover