An Illinois woman, Megan King, has survived a near-fatal internal decapitation, a condition known as atlanto-occipital dislocation, following a series of surgeries that reattached her skull to her spine. The incident traces back to when King was 16 years old and sustained injuries to her right ankle and spine during a gym class soccer game. The fall also resulted in torn muscles on both her shoulder blades.
King’s condition worsened over time, leading to 22 surgeries. Eventually, she was diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos syndrome (hEDS), a genetic disorder that affects the body’s collagen production, causing joint instability. A year after her diagnosis, King’s neck dislocated, necessitating the use of a restrictive “halo brace” with screws inserted directly into her skull to limit movement.
During the removal of the brace, King’s skull detached from her spine, resulting in a near-fatal internal decapitation. “I flew my chair back to keep gravity from decapitating me. My neurosurgeon had to hold my skull in place with his hands. I couldn’t stand. My right side was shaking uncontrollably,” King recounted. She was immediately rushed to surgery, where doctors successfully fused her skull to her spine.
Following the surgery, King woke up unable to move her head. She described the experience as a “horror show.” Despite the odds, King survived the ordeal, which typically has a 90% fatality rate due to the potential for nerve signal damage between the brain and body, leading to paralysis around vital organs.
Since her accident, King has undergone a total of 37 surgeries, leaving her body fused from her skull to her pelvis, rendering her head immobile. “I’m literally a human statue. My spine doesn’t move at all. But that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped living,” she said.
Internal decapitations are more common in children involved in traumatic accidents due to their underdeveloped bones. However, in King’s case, her fall combined with hEDS led to the injury. Despite this, internal decapitations remain extremely rare, accounting for less than 1% of all cervical injuries.
Despite her physical limitations, King is gradually returning to her everyday activities and hobbies, including bowling. “I bowled a strike — on my very first try. My friends screamed and clapped and cheered like wild. They weren’t just celebrating the strike. They were celebrating everything I’ve survived,” she said.