Seaford Teenager Who Suffered Severe Spinal Cord Injury Following Swimming Accident Goes From Being A Quadriplegic To Walking Again Thanks To Neurosurgery Performed At Nassau University Medical Center

Victor F. Politi, MD, FACP, FACEP    Michael B. Mirotznik, Esq.,
President/CEO                                       Chairman Board of Directors 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2, 2015

PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055

MEDIA ADVISORY – Wednesday, September 2, 10:30am

Seaford Teenager Who Suffered Severe Spinal Cord Injury
Following Swimming Accident Goes From Being a Quadriplegic to Walking Again Thanks to Neurosurgery Performed at Nassau University Medical Center

WHAT: Nico Fiorello, 17 years old, from Seaford, NY, is grateful to the neurosurgical team at Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) for his miraculous recovery after suffering a severe spinal cord injury which resulted from a swimming accident at Jones Beach on May 17th.

  After diving into a sand bar, every bone in Nico’s neck was broken, with one pushing into his spinal cord, putting him in danger of being paralyzed for life. 

  Dr. Elizabeth Fontana, NUMC’s director of neurosurgery, performed two procedures.  The first surgery performed on May 17th was a C5 corpectomy, which involves removing pressure on the spinal cord and the discs between the vertebrae are removed.  The second procedure was performed on May 18th to provide additional decompression of the spinal cord with laminectomies to remove spinal bones C4-6 and a posterior fusion, which is performed to join two or more neck vertebrae into one solid section of bone.

  After the two surgeries, from the moment Nico was able to move one toe, he knew he would walk again!  After extensive physical therapy, seven days a week at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, Nico went from being a quadriplegic to now walking again with a walker, using both arms and can now take some steps unassisted.

WHO:  •Nico Fiorello and his parents Joe and Lorraine Fiorello 
  •Dr. Victor Politi, NUMC’s President and Chief Executive Officer
  •Dr. Elizabeth Fontana, NUMC’s Director, Neurosurgery

WHEN: Wednesday, September 2, 2015, 10:30am

WHERE: Nassau University Medical Center, 19th floor board room
  2201 Hempstead Turnpike