Boy survives 'internal decapitation'
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Ricky Barker, also known as the "Miracle Boy," needed just a little help to keep his balance.

And he still needed a ventilator in order to breathe.

Those were small details Tuesday compared with the drama of what happened next.

The 13-year-old spinal-injury victim slowly rose from his wheelchair and walked out of a Phoenix hospital, mostly under his own power.

For doctors and other health care providers, it was a spectacular feat for a boy who, by all accounts, should have been killed or left a quadriplegic in an April 10 traffic accident.

Ricky, greeted with applause by health workers, was the center of attention as he stepped to the exit of Phoenix Children's Hospital, ending a nearly three-month stay.

"It's a spectacular day," said Dr. Allen Kaplan, the hospital's medical director of pediatric neurology and one of Ricky's attending physicians.

Kaplan said that, during his more than 40-year medical career, he has seen a lot of success stories but Ricky's is one that he would rank at the top.

Dr. Allen Lieberman, a neurosurgeon who helped save Ricky's life, agreed.

It was incredible that Ricky survived an injury "that is almost universally fatal," he said. It's even more amazing that Ricky not only found a way to survive but also has managed to walk again, Lieberman added.

Ricky, a west Phoenix, Arizona resident whose left arm remains paralyzed, gave one explanation for his success story.

"I have a lot of determination and will," he told reporters. "When I got hurt, that determination and will to keep living was still there."

His parents, Stanley and Amanda, said Ricky's new lease on life is miraculous and an answer to many prayers. They said their son deserves the "Miracle Boy" name friends and family members have adopted for him.

For his part, Ricky said he looks forward to returning to his mother's home and starting his freshman year at Trevor G. Browne High School.

However, he admitted that he's just a little nervous about what the future holds.

That's a far cry from April 10 when he was struck by a car while riding his bike.

Doctors said Ricky suffered an "internal decapitation," meaning that his skull was severed from the top of his spine.

In addition, the ligaments attaching the skull to the spine were completely torn, leaving only skin and some muscle to hold the skull in place.

Ricky was in a deep coma as surgeons at Phoenix Children's went to work, reattaching his skull to his spine using metal rods, plates and screws.

Ricky eventually awoke from his coma and regained use of his right leg and arm.

Now he has partial use of his left leg, allowing him to walk.

He eventually hopes to regain use of his left arm but acknowledges things will take time.

"I want to be able to do a lot of things," Ricky said.


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