Modern medicine can work wonders, and few stories prove that more than Megan King’s.
At just 16 years old, Megan suffered a devastating injury during a game of football that would change her life forever.
Now 35, the Illinois woman is sharing how a rare condition and a freak accident led to a terrifying case of internal decapitation — and how, against all odds, she survived.
While full decapitation is always fatal, internal decapitation — medically known as atlanto-occipital dislocation — is an extremely dangerous injury where the skull becomes detached from the spine internally. It has a 70 percent fatality rate, according to Real Clear Science.
Megan’s nightmare began when she fell while jumping for the ball, injuring her ankle, spine, and tearing muscles from both shoulder blades. Over the years, she underwent 22 surgeries, but doctors struggled to understand why her body wasn’t healing.
In 2015, she was finally diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), a rare genetic condition that affects collagen production, leading to joint instability. While some people with hEDS are incredibly flexible, for Megan, the condition had the opposite effect — locking her body into immobility.
Doctors re-attach 'decapitated' woman's HEAD after her horrific fall
Megan King, a now 35-year-old living in Illinois, was just 16 when she suffered an injury in gym class. A decade later, her head detached from the…… https://t.co/KXhOtGG46Z pic.twitter.com/oXqPwV1SE0
— Muyaninav (@muyaninav) April 12, 2025
As her condition worsened, Megan underwent emergency neck surgery and was placed in a halo brace; a rigid frame that involved screwing into her skull to keep her head in place. But when a doctor removed the brace too soon, her skull separated from her spine.
“I flew my chair back to keep gravity from decapitating me,” she told The Daily Mail. “My neurosurgeon had to hold my skull in place with his hands. I couldn’t stand. My right side was shaking uncontrollably. It was a horror show. I woke up unable to move my head at all.”
Following the internal decapitation, Megan endured 15 more surgeries. Today, her spine is completely fused, from skull to pelvis, rendering her unable to turn or tilt her head in any direction.
“I’m literally a human statue,” she said. “My spine doesn’t move at all. But that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped living.”
Incredibly, despite the immense physical limitations and two decades of recovery, Megan has found ways to reclaim parts of her old life. She recently made a triumphant return to a bowling alley — a place she hadn’t visited since she was a teenager.
“I bowled a strike on my very first try,” she shared. “My friends screamed and clapped and cheered like wild. They weren’t just celebrating the strike. They were celebrating everything I’ve survived.”
Now, Megan is focused on adapting to her “new body,” continually discovering what she’s still capable of. “It’s not easy,” she admitted. “But I’m always surprised by what I can still accomplish.”
