Leo McGlory Jr. was cleaning out the bed of his truck when he suddenly lost his balance and fell, hitting his head on the trailer hitch.
His brother-in-law heard him fall and McGlory’s sister called 911.
The ambulance took him to a local hospital where they did X-rays, called his injury “just badly bruised” and discharged him the same day.
The next morning McGlory was still numb and in pain.
His sister called 911 again and McGlory was taken to Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital where doctors told him he was suffering from a broken neck.
“The LBJ team stabilized him and transferred him to [Harris Health] Ben Taub Hospital for emergency surgery,” says Ethel McGlory, his mother. “His surgery lasted 10 hours.”
As a Level III trauma center, LBJ Hospital is capable of taking care of a variety of trauma cases except for head and spinal injuries. For that care, patients are taken to the Level I trauma center at Ben Taub Hospital.
Surgery relieved pressure on McGlory’s spinal cord and nerves. The medical team stabilized his neck using hardware and several of his vertebrae were fused together.
“I don’t remember everything that happened, but I was in the hospital for a month,” McGlory recalls. “The care I received was really great. I miss playing sports, fishing and being active, but I’m grateful for every small victory and the care teams who helped me.”
With the help of his mom, McGlory has relearned basic things like feeding himself and taking a few steps with support. McGlory is still rehabilitating and receives regular physical therapy that he hopes will help him keep improving.