# My nephew has broken his back **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 18, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-has-broken-his-back/679172 "2014-01-18T23:45:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-has-broken-his-back/679172/21 "2014-01-20T04:13:59Z")
Good news so far. They’ve done surgery and have already had him up. He will soon (I’m not sure when) be sent to Ft. Hood for rehab and recovery and then allowed to come home to Tennessee for some time off. We still don’t have any idea of the severity of his injury, but things seems to be brighter now. Thank you all for your words of support. StG ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-has-broken-his-back/679172/22 "2014-01-20T04:47:17Z")
Thank goodness. Glad to hear things are going well. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-has-broken-his-back/679172/23 "2014-01-20T05:08:38Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Bad news for my family - my nephew, my brother’s step-son, had a vehicle roll-over while on duty in Afghanistan and has broken his back. He apparently isn’t paralyzed, thank God. At this point we don’t know much more. They med-evaced him to Germany and we don’t know when they’ll bring him home. He’s 21. > > StG As others have noted, breaking your back doesn’t necessitate permanent effects. My mother broke several vertebrae as a teenager, and she recovered fully and runs marathons today. (Boston last year and this year!) Best of luck to your nephew, but if he wasn’t paralyzed right off the bat and the Army surgeons got to him quickly, he may even be able to complete his term of service. ---
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-has-broken-his-back/679172/24 "2014-01-20T05:49:01Z")
I have a friend who broke his neck (no paralysis) in high school who went on to have full recovery then a great career in the Marines! And there is much truth that the current medical support of the US military has never been better. Here are great wishes, and the sincere belief that with some fortune your nephew will recover fully and have the first of many interesting stories about his long life written. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-has-broken-his-back/679172/25 "2014-01-20T06:19:49Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Good news so far. They’ve done surgery and have already had him up. He will soon (I’m not sure when) be sent to Ft. Hood for rehab and recovery and then allowed to come home to Tennessee for some time off. We still don’t have any idea of the severity of his injury, but things seems to be brighter now. > > Thank you all for your words of support. > > StG I’m so glad to hear that! That’s fantastic news. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-has-broken-his-back/679172/26 "2014-01-20T09:22:44Z")
May your nephew’s recovery be as good as that of my grandfather, whose broken neck X-rays showed as “old wound” within days. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nephew-has-broken-his-back/679172.md?page=1)