• UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine
UCLA Spine Center

UCLA Spine Center

UCLA Spine Center
  • About Us
    • Why Choose the UCLA Spine Center
    • Overview
    • In The News
    • Webinars
    • Make a Gift
  • Conditions
    • Adult Scoliosis
    • Adult Tethered Cord
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis
    • Basilar Invagination
    • Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease
    • Cervical Disc Herniation
    • Cervical Fracture
    • Cervical Stenosis / Cervical Myelopathy
    • Chiari Malformation
    • Facet Joint Arthritis
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Idiopathic Scoliosis
    • Lumbar Disc Herniation
    • Lumbar Stenosis
    • Neuromuscular Scoliosis
    • Osteoarthritis of the Peripheral Joint
    • Osteoarthritis of the Spine
    • Osteomyelitis
    • Osteoporosis / Vertebral Fractures
    • Platybasia
    • Radiculopathy (Cervical and Lumbar)
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • Sacroiliac Joint Disease
    • Spinal Compression Fractures
    • Spinal Cord Injury
    • Spinal Cord Tumors
    • Syringomyelia
    • Thoracic Disc Degeneration
    • Thoracic Spine Fracture
    • Trochanteric Bursitis
    • Adult Scoliosis
    • Adult Tethered Cord
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis
    • Basilar Invagination
    • Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease
    • Cervical Disc Herniation
    • Cervical Fracture
    • Cervical Stenosis / Cervical Myelopathy
    • Chiari Malformation
    • Facet Joint Arthritis
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Idiopathic Scoliosis
    • Lumbar Disc Herniation
    • Lumbar Stenosis
    • Neuromuscular Scoliosis
    • Osteoarthritis of the Peripheral Joint
    • Osteoarthritis of the Spine
    • Osteomyelitis
    • Osteoporosis / Vertebral Fractures
    • Platybasia
    • Radiculopathy (Cervical and Lumbar)
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • Sacroiliac Joint Disease
    • Spinal Compression Fractures
    • Spinal Cord Injury
    • Spinal Cord Tumors
    • Syringomyelia
    • Thoracic Disc Degeneration
    • Thoracic Spine Fracture
    • Trochanteric Bursitis
  • Treatments & Programs
    • Nonsurgical Treatment
    • Surgical Treatment
  • For Patients
    • Appointments
    • New Patient Questionnaires
    • Choosing a Multidisciplinary Pain Program
    • Patient Education Videos
    • Understanding Neck and Back Pain
    • Specialists Who Treat Back Pain
    • Physiatrists
    • Ergonomics for Prolonged Sitting
    • Fitness
    • Planning Your Spine Surgery
    • Preparing for Surgery
    • Patient Stories
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Health Plans
    • Helpful Resources
  • Contact Us
    • Map and Directions
  • Fellowship Programs
    • UCLA—WLA VA Pain Medicine Fellowship
    • Neurosurgery Spine Fellowship
    • Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Fellowship
    • UCLA Spine Center PMR Spine Medicine Fellowship
  • For Healthcare Professionals
    • Physician Directory
    • New Patient Questionnaires
  • Physician Directory
    • Specialists Who Treat Back Pain
    • Physiatrists
  • UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine

UCLA Spine Center

For Patients

For Patients

For Patients

  • Appointments
  • New Patient Questionnaires
  • Choosing a Multidisciplinary Pain Program
  • Patient Education Videos
  • Understanding Neck and Back Pain
  • Specialists Who Treat Back Pain
  • Physiatrists
  • Ergonomics for Prolonged Sitting
  • Fitness
  • Planning Your Spine Surgery
  • Preparing for Surgery
  • Patient Stories
    • Spine Surgery - Cody's Story
    • Spine Surgery – Jonathan’s Story
    • Spine Center – James' Story
    • Laminectomy - Mike's Story
    • Spine Trauma - Jim's Story
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Health Plans
  • Helpful Resources
  • Appointments
  • New Patient Questionnaires
  • Choosing a Multidisciplinary Pain Program
  • Patient Education Videos
  • Understanding Neck and Back Pain
  • Specialists Who Treat Back Pain
  • Physiatrists
  • Ergonomics for Prolonged Sitting
  • Fitness
  • Planning Your Spine Surgery
  • Preparing for Surgery
  • Patient Stories
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Health Plans
  • Helpful Resources
  • Spine Surgery - Cody's Story
  • Spine Surgery – Jonathan’s Story
  • Spine Center – James' Story
  • Laminectomy - Mike's Story
  • Spine Trauma - Jim's Story
  1. Home
  2. For Patients
  3. Patient Stories
  4. Spine Surgery - Cody's Story

Spine Surgery - Cody's Story

Share this

Teen with severe spine injury making comeback

by Denise Dador, Los Angeles (KABC) -- LOS ANGELES -- People with severe spinal cord injuries rarely survive a month or two after an accident. Actor Christopher Reeve managed to live 15 years after his injury. One local teenager is also beating the odds. When it comes to severe spinal cord injuries, all doctors can do is stabilize the spine and hope for the best. Less than two years ago, it looked pretty bad for 18-year-old Cody Williams.

Santa Monica High School junior, Cody

The Santa Monica High School junior tackled a quarterback as he tried to enter the end zone on Sept. 11, 2009. "As he was going up, his knee made contact with my face mask and just kind of jerked my neck back, and I just blacked out for a little bit," Williams said. Williams was paralyzed. Paramedics transported him to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The force of the injury snapped his neck. "As soon as I saw the films, I knew that it was a very devastating injury," said Dr. Langston Holly of UCLA Medical Center. The severity and location were close to the injury actor Christopher Reeve suffered.

It took nine hours for Holly to stabilize the front and back of Williams' neck, but how well he'd recover was unknown. "History just shows that the vast majority of these people will not make a significant life changing improvement," Holly said. Home video shows how Williams is able to use his arms and his legs. "With braces on my legs, I can take about 20 to 30 steps," Williams said.

One of the keys in his recovery was the fact that he got into surgery so quickly, and surgeons were able to stabilize his spine. But the fact that he can use both his arms and is making strides in walking, doctors say that is all the teen's effort. Williams just started an experimental medication designed to support spinal cord healing. His family hopes the drug, along with physical therapy, will help him get even stronger.

Full Story on abclocal.go.com >

Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest
UCLA Health hospitals ranked best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report
  • UCLA Health
  • School of Medicine
  • School of Nursing
  • UCLA Campus
  • Directory
  • Newsroom
  • Publications
  • Giving
  • Careers
  • Volunteer
  • Privacy Practices
  • Nondiscrimination
  • Emergency
  • Smoke-Free
  • Terms of Use
  • 1-310-825-2631
  • Maps & Directions
  • Contact Us
  • Report Broken Links
  • Sitemap
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest

Sign in to myUCLAhealth

Learn more about myUCLAhealth