Mother-of-three Danielle Demourtzidis has told how persistent back pain at the age of 37 ended with an excruciating nine-month stay in hospital.
Danielle’s spine was fractured when she was 14 after a tumor crushed part of her vertebrae. Surgeons decided it was too risky to remove the benign growth from her without causing further damage.
Instead, a metal rod was inserted into her back to “stabilize” her spine and Danielle moved on with her life.
That was until years later when he started experiencing back pain.
DanielaNow 40, he told FEMAIL the rod had to be replaced because it had become deformed after 23 years in his back, but what followed was a nightmare he never saw coming.
“No one knew how to approach this, it’s a very strange case and they haven’t seen anything like it before,” he said.
Mum-of-three Danielle Demourtzidis has told how persistent back pain at the age of 37 ended with a terrifying and unbearable nine-month stay in hospital.
The metal rod was replaced when she was 37 years old. ‘Everything went well: I saw my husband and recorded a video message for my children. Then I couldn’t breathe,” she said (pictured with her husband George)
Little did she know that her body was “shutdown” due to internal bleeding and she was put in a coma for five weeks. She woke up thinking that she had just undergone the first surgery.
When Danielle was a teenager, scans discovered the large tumor and a biopsy determined it was made up of blood vessels running through her spine and ribs, so it was considered too risky to operate.
Danielle did not have any problems with her spine for years after the metal rod was inserted and she had three children.
But in 2022 his back started to hurt.
‘I went to the doctor who did some scans and the metal capsule had bent. Then another surgeon recommended changing the rods because it had been 20-odd years,” Danielle said.
Two surgeries were necessary to remove the old rod and insert the new one.
‘I had the first surgery and everything went well: I saw my husband and recorded a video message for my children. Then I couldn’t breathe,” he said.
What he didn’t know was that his body was “shutdown” due to internal bleeding and that he was in a coma for five weeks due to an unexpected complication related to the tumor.
Danielle’s husband, George, stayed by her side every day and was able to take time off work while her sister and mother cared for the children at home.
Danielle said that after she woke up, the “fight of her life” began and the “easy part” was over. The metal rod needed to be reinserted into Danielle’s back, but because she was so weak, surgeons did not want to operate on her yet (pictured with her children, Victoria, 15, Peter, 14, Andrew, 11) .
Danielle’s husband, George, stayed by her side every day and was able to take time off work while her family cared for the children at home.
“When I woke up they had taken away almost all of my abilities: I couldn’t eat, talk, breathe, walk or move without help,” Danielle recalled.
‘They stripped me of everything except my sight and hearing… and I thought I was waking up from the first surgery. It was a complete shock when doctors said she had been in a coma for five weeks. I did not understand.’
After waking up, Danielle said the “fight of her life” began and the “easy part” was over.
The metal rod had to be reinserted into Danielle’s back, but because she was so weak, surgeons did not want to operate on her.
He remained in the ICU for an astonishing six months, where he faced some of his most difficult moments. He had 10 operations, a wound on his back that kept opening, sepsis, constant infections, constant pain and rarely saw his children.
“My spine was so crushed that my head was falling forward,” he recalled, describing spinal kyphoscoliosis.
‘I don’t know how I am here today… the doctors told my husband to say goodbye because they didn’t believe I would survive.
“It was absolute torture being away from my children. “It was the most difficult thing in the world.”
Because his spine was not strong enough to support his head, a head brace was used.
Because his spine was not strong enough to support his head, a head brace was used.
Against all odds, six months later, he was finally strong enough for surgeons to reinsert the new rod into his back, and it was a success. But the fight was not over yet as she was in the hospital ward recovering for three months regaining mobility.
To this day the tumor remains in his back. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m enjoying life with my family,” she said.
As time passed, Danielle and everyone around her turned to faith and prayed every day to get better.
“There were many times when I felt exhausted and could barely move, but the nurses took good care of me and so did the community,” she said.
“I’ll always be grateful for what everyone did for me – some people I hadn’t heard from in 20 years stopped by to check on me.”
Against all odds, after six months he was finally strong enough for surgeons to reinsert the new rod into his back, and it was a success.
But the fight did not end as Danielle had to stay in the hospital for another three months to regain her mobility.
He had physical therapy every day and had to learn to talk, walk and eat again.
To this day the tumor remains in his back.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m enjoying life with my family,” he said.
‘When I was in hospital, my children wrote on a board the countries they wanted to go to and last June we were lucky enough to go on a family holiday to Paris, England and Greece.
“Faith, family and friends helped me get through the most difficult time of my life.”