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A Cheerleader’s World Turns Upside Down
Jade Dibling was trying out for the varsity
cheerleading team when her world
came crashing down on her. While
doing a standing back flip, the 14-year-old
fell short, landing on her head and neck.
"I had no movement or feeling," recalls
Jade. "My first thoughts were about never getting married or becoming a mother."
Notified of her condition en route to
the hospital, the Trauma Center team at
Jersey Shore University Medical Center
was waiting for Jade and her parents,
Janice and John, when they arrived.
Specialists quickly took diagnostic images,
which Felix Garcia, M.D., Trauma Center
director, relayed to Jersey Shore’s chief of
spine surgery, Michael F. Lospinuso, M.D.
"I told the Diblings that even though
Dr. Lospinuso was not in the hospital, our
advanced technology enables us both to
view the images in real time and formulate
a treatment plan."
The doctors diagnosed a partial spinal
cord injury and shared with the family
the plans to begin treatment with surgery.
"In the operating room, we inserted two
titanium plates, four screws, and a bone
grafting," remarks Dr. Lospinuso. "This
realigned her vertebrae and alleviated the
compression on the spinal cord."
After surgery, Jade experienced a different
type of pain in her arms — a good
sign. The Pediatric ICU (PICU) staff at
K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital recorded
significant motor function improvement
in her arms and legs. "Rebecca in PICU is
the greatest nurse in the world," says Jade.
"Everyone was so attentive and confident that I was going to be okay."
"Surgery is just the first step, followed
by attentive nursing care and aggressive
physical therapy," explains Dr. Lospinuso.
After a few days in an orthopedic surgical
suite, Jade returned to Manalapan for three
weeks of home therapy, then outpatient
rehabilitation. Her progress in only two
months amazed Jade and her physicians.
"Dr. Lospinuso, Dr. Garcia, and the rest
of the staff were great at communicating
every step," adds Janice. "Their understanding
and compassion made a difficult
time more bearable."
"I’m just proud to have been a member
of a medical team that changed this girl’s
life forever," concludes Dr. Lospinuso.
 – John Shaffer
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