Methodist Dallas Medical Center
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Fall 2014
13
There’s
a spot on Natalie Flores’ neck that is extremely
ticklish. But for every inch of her body below that spot, all
tickling attempts fail.
Since a lifesaving spine surgery in 2010, Natalie has had
difficulty feeling from the neck down except in her forefingers
and thumbs.
Nevertheless, she has relearned how to walk and drive. She’s
remastered the art of straightening her hair. She even has a
perfectly firm handshake.
“I’m now at a point where my body does what I tell it to
do, but I still can’t feel myself doing it,” the now-26-year-old
Sunnyvale resident says. “It’s crazy.”
Even crazier is this: If one thing had gone wrong during that
surgery four years ago, Natalie’s story would be much different.
Something’s not right
That story begins in spring 2010. After a car accident, she began
experiencing neck pain. As the months passed, things only got
worse. Natalie’s mother, Sonia Flores, noticed that Natalie was
dragging her left foot and complaining it was asleep.
“Then we noticed her words started slurring,” Sonia says.
“I said, ‘This isn’t right.’”
They sought the expertise of a neurologist, who ordered an
MRI scan. The results compelled him to refer Natalie to the
Methodist Moody Brain and Spine Institute at Methodist
Dallas Medical Center.
A young life on the line
“When I saw the MRI, my heart sank,” recalls neurosurgeon
Nimesh Patel, MD, with the Institute. “A malignant tumor had
split the spinal cord in two and all the way up to the brain stem,
affecting her ability to breathe and move.
“If I did nothing, the tumor would take her young life. If I
did do something, she had a high risk of being paralyzed. This
required one of the riskiest surgeries in neuro, period.”
Hoping for the best, Natalie celebrated her 23rd birthday on
Sept. 25 and had surgery on Sept. 30. A team of neurosurgeons
worked for hours to remove the tumor as thoroughly and
carefully as possible. Then they waited.
A walking miracle
“We took a sigh of relief when we saw she could move her arms
and legs,” Dr. Patel says.
Even though Natalie couldn’t control those movements, her
body still knew how to do them. This was the sign Dr. Patel needed.
“At Methodist Dallas, we have a specialized team for brain
and spinal cord injury patients,” he says. “As soon as surgery is
completed, physical therapy is in place to help maximize their
ability to heal.”
Natalie started learning to walk again with a walker. She credits
these first days of physical therapy in the hospital as a milestone
in her recovery.
“I kept thinking, if I can take a couple of steps, I can walk
more than this,” she says. “I knew in my head I wouldn’t need
a walker forever.”
The Flores family says Natalie received the best care at
Methodist Dallas.
“We were totally impressed with all the staff,” Sonia says.
“If we needed something, they were always there.”
A future full of hope
Natalie says the weeks and months following the surgery were
the hardest she’s ever known. But today she’s gracing the world
with a beautiful smile and a mind set to making the most of the
second chance Methodist Dallas gave her. She dreams of finishing
college, living on her own, getting married, and building a family.
For other young people who may get discouraged by life’s
obstacles, she offers these words: “Don’t give up. Everything is
going to be okay, and things work out the way they’re supposed to.”
And sometimes, they even work out miraculously.
When a spinal cord tumor threatened Natalie Flores’ life, the
Methodist Moody Brain and Spine Institute fought back
It’s not what you feel,
it’s what you know
Methodist Dallas’ neurocritical care unit (NCCU) in the new
rgery patients recover in body and spirit. To learn more,
