Patient Stories
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At the UCLA Health Spine Center, our experts diagnose, manage and treat all spinal injuries and conditions. Call 310-319-3475 to connect with a spine specialist.
UCLA Health Spine Care is committed to maintaining excellence in patient care. We take great pride in being able to share some of our patients' stories with you.
Spine Surgery - Cody's Story
by Denise Dador, Los Angeles (KABC) -- People with severe spinal cord injuries rarely survive a month or two after an accident. Actor Christopher Reeve managed to live 15 years after his injury. One local teenager is also beating the odds. When it comes to severe spinal cord injuries, all doctors can do is stabilize the spine and hope for the best. Less than two years ago, it looked pretty bad for 18-year-old Cody Williams. The Santa Monica High School junior tackled a quarterback as he tried to enter the end zone on Sept. 11, 2009.
Spine Trauma - Jim's Story
August 28 is a day that my life changed forever. It's a day that I have no recollection of. I only know what occurred by what others have told me and by the pictures and news footage that I have seen. I still don't fully comprehend how close I really was to losing my life that day. I am a Los Angeles county sheriff motorcycle deputy. I was assigned to the city of Malibu. I worked in one of the most beautiful places you could ask for. I actually got paid to ride a motorcycle through the canyons and up and down Pacific Coast Highway. I couldn't have asked for a better assignment. I had paid my dues. I worked 5 years in South Central Los Angeles working at stations from Compton to Lynwood. I was now assigned closer to home working daytime hours to spend more time with my family.
On August 28, a man robbed a Wells Fargo bank at gunpoint. He fled in his car and was seen by one of my partners. The suspect fled and a pursuit began. The suspect was driving recklessly at high speeds and on the wrong side of the road. I was down the road and he was heading towards me. The suspect came up from behind me going approximately 80 mph as I was going about 55 mph. It was later confirmed by the suspects own statements that he intentionally rammed me with his car in an attempt to make me crash. He knew that if I crashed, the other deputies would stop and help me and he could get away. That is exactly what happened, although he was later apprehended and will now spend the rest of his life in prison.