The Woman Who Lost Her Head

January 25, 2007 is a day that Shannon Malloy of Nebraska will remember for the rest of her life. In fact, the real surprise is that she still has a ‘rest of her life’. On that awful winter’s day, Malloy lost her head – literally. The car she was driving was involved in a crash that threw Malloy up against the vehicle’s dashboard. In the process, her skull became separated from her spine. In medical parlance, she was internally decapitated.

One would expect Malloy to totally comatose, kept alive entirely by life support systems. Indeed, soon after the crash, doctors told relatives they should prepare to say their goodbyes. But the gritty lady proved everyone wrong. Malloy still has use of her arms and legs. What she had no control over was her head. "I wasn’t focused so much on the pain. I just kept thinking, ‘I have to stay alive.’" Malloy said. Dr Gary Ghiselli, a chiropractor at the Denver Spine Center, said Malloy’s will to survive is what saved her. Her injuries left Malloy with nerve damage, that made her eyes cross; and she has difficulty swallowing.

Now Malloy has got her head screwed back on – again literally. Five screws were drilled into Malloy’s neck. Four more were drilled into her head to keep it stabilized. Then a thing called a halo - rods and a circular metal bar - was attached for added support. "My skull slipped off my neck about five times. Every time they tried to screw this to my head, I would slip," said Malloy.

Doctors eventually stabilized her head and strengthened her neck. The halo has since been removed. "It's a miracle that she was able to survive from the actual accident," Ghiselli said. "It's a miracle that she's made the progress that she's made."

A miracle, indeed. Not only is this amazing story a testament to one individual’s resolve and courage, it illustrates once again that God does, indeed, move in mysterious ways. Sometimes, one can get killed by a bad fall in the bathroom. For Malloy, I guess it was not her time to leave this world. I am a firm believer in free will and do not set much store in fate, or destiny. But something like this makes me wonder if the Almighty does, perhaps, have a master plan for each of us.