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Miami, FL — For the past 22 years, Connie Daniels has had the same routine – she wakes up at 3:30 a.m. and prepares for work as a bus driver for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. But one morning in February 2014, something was off.
It didn’t seem like much at first. Daniels, 58, simply noticed that her right foot was numb, as if it had fallen asleep. Hours went by and the strange sensation never went away. For the next few days, it continued to worsen, with the numbness spreading throughout her lower extremities. A week later, Daniels could barely walk.
Her children rushed her to a Miami hospital, where she spent a week undergoing test after test after test, with no diagnostic answer. But Daniels knew that something was terribly wrong.
“I was in so much pain,” she said. “I couldn’t move my legs. I had no feeling from the waist down.”
After seeing their mom suffering and her condition worsening to the point that she could no longer move her legs, Daniels’ children decided to move her to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Soon after being admitted, she met University of Miami/Jackson Memorial neurosurgeon Mohamed Samy Elhammady, M.D., who diagnosed her with a spinal arteriovenous malformation (AVM), an abnormal collection of blood vessels that impair the flow of blood to the spinal cord.
The treatment of this extremely rare malformation is only performed at major academic medical centers, with specially trained surgeons like those at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center. If not treated in time it can lead to permanent paralysis. Dr. Elhammady and his UM/Jackson colleagues treat approximately 10 cases a year.
To treat the condition, Dr. Elhammady performed a highly complex endovascular embolization, in which he passed a tiny catheter into the vessels of the AVM. Then, he injected a glue-like substance to seal off the malformation. It took approximately four hours to complete – the surgery was a success.
In fewer than two days, Daniels was wiggling her toes and moving her legs. Little by little, she stood up and took her first steps.
“I knew I was going to walk again,” Daniels said. “It was the best feeling.”
After spending a week at Jackson Memorial, Daniels was transferred to Jackson Rehabilitation Hospital, where she spent two weeks recovering, getting stronger and improving her walking skills.
Determined to return to her normal lifestyle, Daniels worked hard with her team of physical therapists.
“I refused to stay in a wheelchair or have to live with a walker,” she said.
Now – just seven months after having the worst scare of her life – Daniels is fully recovered. She walks a couple of miles every day and is back on the job as a school bus driver, shuttling students along her longtime route through Hialeah.
She credits Dr. Elhammady for giving her a second chance and saving her from a life of paralysis.
“He is my hero – he is such a blessing in my life,” Daniels said. “Dr. Elhammady and the medical team at Jackson are the best. I feel so fortunate to have gotten to them in time.”
NOTE: Connie Daniels is available for interviews and for video opportunities driving her school bus; Dr. Elhammady is available for on-camera interviews at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Please contact Jackson Health System’s Jennifer Piedra at 786-525-9078 to schedule.
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