Amazing medical breakthrough - (today's Oprah show, Iraq veteran, miracle Soldier)

Oprah Winfrey ^ | November 13, 2006

[RDTF]

When she was a senior in high school in Akron, Ohio, Jessica Clements joined the Army reserves. She was deployed to Iraq, and though she was scared, she was ready to defend her country.

On May 5, 2004, Jessica's worst fear came true. A roadside bomb was detonated near the unarmored truck she rode in, along with eight other soldiers and a civilian. The shrapnel from the bomb shot into Jessica's lower back and penetrated her skull into three different lobes of her brain.

-snip-

She was given only a 2 percent chance of survival.

To remove the largest pieces of shrapnel from Jessica's brain, neurosurgeon Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Poffenbarger had to perform a craniectomy—he removed almost half of her skull. Then, on the hopes that the right section of Jessica's skull could one day be reattached, Poffenbarger sliced open Jessica's abdomen and placed the four-inch bone inside her body.

Then Dr. Poffenbarger put Jessica in a medically induced coma in hopes that the brain swelling would go down, a common course of action for severe head trauma patients. Even though some of his colleagues thought she should be sent home to die, he refused to give up and insisted Jessica have further treatment.

-snip-

Jessica has been called a "miracle girl" because after four months with nearly half her skull missing, three months in the hospital and nine months in outpatient care, she has recovered from her injuries.

-snip-

Dr. Poffenbarger—an Army neurosurgeon—says he performed up to seven craniectomies on soldiers a day in Iraq.

"I had decided when I went to Iraq that we were going to go straight to the wall for every wounded soldier," he says. "We weren't going to give up on any of them. In [Jessica's] case, she had a very devastating injury."

[RDTF]

amazing story

[RDTF]

ping

[hegemony]

G-d bless her and her doctors. Tears here reading this story RD-thanks so very much for posting it.

[Silly]

Ouch!

[RDTF]

[Indy Pendance]

Praise God!

[spall]

Then, on the hopes that the right section of Jessica's skull could one day be reattached, Poffenbarger sliced open Jessica's abdomen and placed the four-inch bone inside her body.

They used the same technique on Roy Horn when he was mauled by the tiger. Amazing resilience of the human body/spirit.

[Constantine XI Palaeologus]

"on the hopes that the right section of Jessica's skull could one day be reattached, Poffenbarger sliced open Jessica's abdomen and placed the four-inch bone inside her body."

What!? Why can't you just put it in some tupperware with some fluids (I assume he had a good reason for using her abdomen as a depository). Good to see the dedication these doctors have.

[RAY]

Medical Science exercised by a determined physician on a remarkable young lady!

[Jim Robinson]

Amen

[MNJohnnie]

The skill and dedication of the medical people in the US Military is simply amazing. That they are there when they could be almost anywhere else making huge money should cause every American a moment of grateful humility. May God bless them all.

[DBrow]

I'm happy for Jessica, but- have any of you noticed a curious shift in MSM reports on Iraq and the people who serve there?

Building schools, volunteering here and there, working overtime to help the people. And Jessica's recovery.

Isn't it funny? I wonder what could have changed that now the media is trying to make us feel good about our commitment overseas.

[InvisibleChurch]

i remember when the left said these soldiers should have been allowed to die because their qualities of life couldn't be what they once were... it was an article about medical help arriving more quickly and saving more lives ...

[slightlyovertaxed]

What!? Why can't you just put it in some tupperware with some fluids (I assume he had a good reason for using her abdomen as a depository). Good to see the dedication these doctors have.

Human tissue, by and large, isn't much like a plant cutting. You can't just stick it in a jar of nutrients and hope that it doesn't die in the interim (or grow a whole new bit :p). Remember that a bone is many cell layers thick and something has to get waste products out and O2, minerals, protein, etc. in. Putting it in her body is the safest thing and is very common. Skin grafts, for example.

[SandRat]

WOW!!!!!1

[bpjam]

you can't use tupperware because there are no red cells or white cells in there.

[Spirochete]

A roadside bomb was detonated near the unarmored truck she rode in, along with eight other soldiers and a civilian.

With all the helos, tracks, and off-road capability, I just don't understand the Army's insane insistence on using roads. Good grief, they even drive tanks down roads. All the vehicles in the inventory have expensive off-road capability, even the delivery trucks and tankers.

I know certain Clintonian generals were very fond of tires vs. tracks, but this is beyond ridiculous.

[oneamericanvoice]

God bless Jessica and the SSG in this picture! Reminds me of my days as a driver.

Deborah
former Sgt, US Army

[oneamericanvoice]

God bless the surgeon(s), Jessica, and all the troops!

Equally amazing is that Oprah put it on!

[Vicki]

I saw it, it was truly amazing. That female soldier who had 40 percent of her skull blown away by an IDE. Thank God for the one doctor who did not want to send her home to die. What a talented doctor.