Jordan Taylor was buckled up, snug and secure, in the back seat of his mom’s car when a dump truck ran a stop sign and slammed into the family car.  The force of the crash was so violent Jordan’s head became severed from his neck although his spinal cord miraculously remained intact.  His chance of surviving this orthopedic decapitation was grim, no more than a 2% chance of living through the ordeal.  He made it, though, and his mother says he’s planning to go back to school after the winter holidays.

Stacey Perez, Jordan’s mom, describes her initial reaction as uncontrollable screaming but she’s elated today to report her son’s full recovery, just three months after the accident.  Equally proud of his recovery is his team of medical specialists at the Cooks’ Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, where pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Richard Roberts led the way.

Roberts said all the connective tissue joining the head to the neck was destroyed in the accident.  The surgical team used a metal plate and titanium rods to stabilize Jordan’s head and today he wears a neck brace.

The trauma was so catastrophic doctors became immediately aware of the extent of the injury once an MRI scan and radiography were performed.  The injury was so heartbreaking, though, that Jordan’s mom, who suffered significant injuries herself in the accident, was not told the full extent of her son’s medical situation until about a week after the accident occurred.

The chance that Jordan would not survive the accident was overwhelming but he quickly began recovering, surpassing every milestone with which he was presented.  When it became obvious he would not be paralyzed, the staff at Cooks’ Children’s transitional care unit (TCU) presented him with a wheelchair.  He soon advanced to a walker and now walks unaided.

Jordan’s speech was slower to return and there was some concern for lingering brain damage.  This, too, was overcome.  Roberts says his miracle patient has achieved a full recovery – neurologically intact.  He’s an active boy showing no signs of weakness.

Roberts attributes Jordan’s youth to the child’s recovery, saying his younger tissue was better able to recover from this trauma than if he’d been 60 or 70 years old.

Jordan’s stay in the hospital was enlivened by visits from some of his favorite sports stars, including Tony Romo, quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.  Jordan will not only be home for Christmas and back to school next month, he and his mother described his medical miracle on the December 22 episode of CBS’ The Early Show, along with Dr. Roberts.  Jordan had access to school in the hospital but is anxious to see his friends again.