Hunter is an 13 yo young man who had a bout with inflammatory bowel disease (Chrohn’s), and then developed severe neck pain and what appeared to be torticollis 8 months ago. Traction, both inpatient and outpatient did not help. He was thought to have possible rotatory subluxation. He could not hold his head straight, nor turn it at all to the right.
It turned out that the inflammation in his body with the inflammatory bowel disease had destroyed his transverse ligament in his neck, causing C1 to slip forward and to the right on C2. I repaired this at WakeMed about 6 weeks ago by doing a posterior instrumentation and fusion with iliac crest bone graft, realigning C1 on C2. He has done great postoperatively, and is now back to school with “his head on straight” and feeling much better. His mom Barb and dad Dan did a combined art project of a beautiful painting of the human spine on a background of sunshine and pleasant swirls, combined with beautiful calligraphy done by Hunter’s mom. The message in the calligraphy is humbling, and encouraging:

“Like the Great Physician, The Divine Potter,
You, Dr. Hey, through the gifts given to you by the Great Almighty,
formed and transformed my son, Hunter,
with renewed hope and a new fresh start.”

“Like the potter shaping the clay (Jeremiah 18:4-6)
Hunter’s life has been in your hands, as both of you have been under God’s

Barb * Dan * Hunter
August 2007.