Xavier Cunningham was having a great time in the treehouse behind his Harrisonville home. But when a swarm of yellow jackets invaded his perch, the 10-year-old boy scampered for the ladder to get down. That’s when he lost his balance and fell face down into a foot-long metal meat skewer which happened to be on the ground beneath him. He landed on the skewer, which pierced his face, penetrating his skull all the way to the back of his head. His horrified parents rushed him to the hospital, which sent him to The University of Kansas Health System. Dr. Koji Ebersole, director of Endovascular Neurosurgery was called in, and could hardly believe what he saw…the rod sticking out half a foot from Xavier’s face and lodged in tight. Scans showed, miraculously, no vital organs or vessels were damaged. “I’ve never seen anything like this where the person survived,” said Ebersole. He decided, with Xavier’s permission, to hold off till the following morning until he could assemble a core team to help in the delicate procedure. Nearly 100 people helped Xavier.

            With the team in place, and every contingency anticipated, the surgeons went about the painstaking task of removing the skewer a little bit at a time. The whole time, they were aware that the slightest wrong move could cause Xavier permanent damage…or even kill him. Finally, they got the whole thing out. After just a few days in the hospital, Xavier was able to go home with his family. The amazing part is he’s expected to make a full recovery.

            In the video, Dr. Koji Ebersole describes the situation from start to finish and the challenge the whole team faced. Then parents Gabriella and Shannon Miller talk about everything that happened, followed by one of the team of 100, Dr. Kiran Kakarala, an ear nose and throat specialist who explains why this was a one in a million survival for Xavier. Next is Dr. Ebersole again as he shows in detail the different scans of the skewer and how dangerously close it came to the major organs and vessels. Finally, video of the doctors and family gathered around Xavier’s hospital bed and shots of Xavier and his family leaving the hospital for home…just five days later.