And moving into other news….a 19-year-old is lucky to be able to walk after a fishing spear penetrated his spine. The accident occurred in the Cayo district on Saturday and tonight, Michael Alvarez is resting at the KHMH, with full control of his lower body.
It's a miraculous outcome from an event that could have ended in paralysis for the teenager. But with luck, plus the skill of the hospital's surgical team, and maybe even some divine intervention, the spear was removed without a hitch.
Courtney Menzies visited him at the KHMH and has this story.
19-year-old Michael Alvarez is currently at the KHMH recovering after a spinal injury nearly left him paralyzed.
The fisherman was heading home in a vehicle when a rear end collision caused a spear to lodge itself into his back.
Michael Alvarez, Needed Spinal Surgery
"We already came from fishing, it was four of us. Only me live at Cotton Tree, the rest of the guys live in Belmopan, and they were going to take me home. We already came out from the More Tomorrow Road and we saw this vehicle coming all the way from behind, it didn't even cross the bump yet. So I told [the driver] mash it, so we could go up so. When the man got ready to come into the village, this vehicle already caught up to us and knocked us hard. We brought these steel… behind the taxi..."
Courtney Menzies:
"In the trunk."
Michael Alvarez, Needed Spinal Surgery
"Yeah. We brought some steel in case the river was clear, we would have dived. But the river was kinda dirty, so we didn't dive. So when they crashed us, that steel..."
"It went through the backseat, it caught my backbone, and it pushed me into the front seat. I was there for like half an hour until the ambulance reach and they cut the steel."
"It was painful, I couldn't take it, but I had to, until the ambulance reach and they had to do what they do and they took me to the hospital."
And once Alvarez realized he'd survived, his biggest fear was being left paralyzed.
Michael Alvarez, Needed Spinal Surgery
"First thing I thought was that I wasn't going to walk anymore cause it's my backbone. But thanks to God, I still could walk. I was happy because I could walk again."
And even the neurosurgeon who attended to him at the KHMH was surprised. Dr Javier Dupuy explained that when he spoke with the doctors at Western Regional Hospital - which is where Alvarez went first, they assured him that - shockingly - there was no nerve damage.
But Alvarez ran into some other issues - such as not being able to pay for a private CT Scan, since the KHMH doesn't have the capability. Dr Dupuy explained how they were able to overcome those challenges.
Dr Javier Dupuy, Neurosurgeon
"Initially we were thinking that the spear was very near to the spine but we were thinking that the possibility that it was outside of the spine according to the X-ray but fortunately, later it was possible to get the money and to pay the CT Scan privately and in the CT, the result was different. It was possible to identify that the tip of the spear was inside the vertebrae canal, inside to the vertebrae body, in this case fourth lumbar, and the patient had a lot of possibility that according to the trajectory for the spear that produce some damage in any neurological structure inside the vertebrae canal. But we were in contact with the doctor in Western Regional and according to him, the patient had no neurological damage, that is one point that was positive, it would be less hard, the surgery in this case."
"Initially, we had another problem because the blood type for the patient is O negative and we don't have O negative at the moment in the hospital so the surgery has to be more careful to avoid the bleeding, excessive bleeding."
"But fortunately it was possible to do the surgery with minimal bleeding and was not necessary to use any blood transfusions."
And during this surgery, the surgeons noticed that while there was a nerve above and below the spear, it miraculously missed all of them. They were also worried about the very tip of the spear, but they eventually discovered that had also not caused much damage.
But while it took the surgeons' knowledge and skills to remove the spear, Dr Dupuy says luck was on Alvarez's side.
Dr Javier Dupuy, Neurosurgeon
"In this case, the spear entered to the spine it did not enter exactly in the center, it entered more laterally and that was better for the patient because well entering laterally, the possibility of damaging the nerve is present but maybe one nerve, two nerve. When entered into the center, the possibility of producing more damage for the nerves it's more real because in the center there is a lot of the nerve because the spinal cord that is the prolongation of the brain inside to the vertebrae canal finish at the level of the first vertebrae lumbar."
"Fortunately it was outside because if entering the center, exactly in the center, maybe the patient would be fully paralyzed."
Michael Alvarez, Needed Spinal Surgery
"I only could thank God because nothing happen without his permission because the way how this thing happened, I would stay paralyzed but then it wasn't my day yet."
For now, the only risk to Alvarez's health is infection, since Dr Dupuy says the spear was in contact with the spinal fluid. He is currently on an antibacterial treatment and remains in the hospital for observation. The KHMH is currently celebrating it's 28th year in operation.
