Tommy has been in the hospital since Monday with severe pain on the right side of his neck. As it turns out, recent scans revealed that while there was some healing (bone growth) of the c1 fracture on the left side, healing wasn't occurring on the right side and showing instability. The instability is the brain stem settling downward on his right side which isn't strong enough to hold things in place. Also, the ligaments seem to be damaged as first feared. Thus, putting Tommy at risk for further injury in the near-term. As such, some sort of immediate intervention is needed to repair and/or stabilize Tommy's break.
The potential interventional approaches came down to two choices - 1) surgery to fuse Tommy's c1, c2, and occipital bone, or 2) place Tommy in a halo and see if he can achieve some healing prior to a surgery like the one I just mentioned or possibly just a c1 c2 fusion which would give him a greater range of motion in his neck compared to the c1 c2 occipital bone fusion. After consultation with a number of neurosurgeons, we have decided to try the more conservative halo approach first and get Tommy stable. We are going to give him a chance to heal no matter how small that chance may be and for a shot at more movement. He will be getting his halo on in the next couple of days and he will then be able to come home as long as his pain is under control. Tommy is being unbelievably strong through all of this — he is one amazing young man.
I hate to keep asking you all this but please pray (or continue to pray) for Tommy's recovery. Bless all of you for your kindness to Tommy and the entire Mallon family through this trying time.
I am praying for you. Nikki Gibson
ReplyDeletePlease do not hate to ask for prayer. You have no idea how many people are praying for Tommy all over the world. We do this because we are in the family of God and we carry one another's burdens. Our hearts go out to Tommy and we pray for the Great Physician to touch and heal Tommy's body. We love to pray for our own. We want to pray for Tommy and the family. Please always ask and always share the latest because there is so much power in prayer. We don't always know how God will work but we do always know He is working. We have been praying since finding out the latest news on Tommy. We will continue to pray always. May God's Grace and Power and Love abound in the Mallon family. We care so much for you. Jefferey we hope you had a wonderful sweet 16 birthday. You deserved it. Happy Birthday to you! You are a great little brother. Keep us all posted. Love, The Jacques and their prayer partners.
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