US4 min(s) read
Published 14:20 09 May 2026 GMT
Jonathan Buckelew's family has released a statement about his dangerous health condition, more than a decade on from his diagnosis.
A routine visit to the chiropractor quickly turned into a nightmare for Jonathan, who was in his 20s at the time.
The American was initially going for a neck adjustment back in October 2015, but in moments, his life would change forever.
Jonathan would become paralyzed and be unable to speak, despite remaining fully conscious, with the rare neurological condition known as "locked-in syndrome".
He was rushed to the hospital after feeling dizzy, disoriented, and unresponsive during the adjustment, but doctors struggled to understand what was happening in the early stages.
Court documents revealed that medical staff missed that he was suffering from a severe brain stem stroke, which cost him crucial time that could have limited the damage.
A whole day passed before his condition was identified, but by this time, the stroke had caused harm and left him with locked-in syndrome.
After years with the condition, which left him only able to communicate with his eyes, his family confirmed that he died on January 21, 2026.
Jonathan's loved ones said in an obituary: "Jonathan had many passions, one was cooking, and decided to take a season to explore Vail, Colorado and was enrolled in Colorado Mountain College Culinary School.
"While there, he worked at a restaurant on top of Vail Mountain and skied the slopes at closing.
"This was a great season for him to explore many of his passions."
They went on: "Jonathan had many passions but loved skiing, both water and snow as well as Ice Hockey, soccer and baseball.
"Jonathan is survived by Brittany Nicole Buckelew, Michael Christopher Buckelew, and his parents, Janice and Jack Buckelew," they added.
Speaking about Jonathan's condition in 2025, his lawyer Lloyd Bell said: "Jonathan was having a stroke when he came to the hospital, and they missed it. The people who were responsible for reading the radiographs misread it."
"The ER doctor saw this patient was having all these signs and symptoms of stroke and never called a stroke alert, and they had policies in place that they were supposed to follow certain protocols to reach the correct diagnosis, and they didn't follow their policies and procedures."
"This case is heartbreaking because Jonathan’s paralysis and brain damage were completely avoidable," he told the New York Post.
"If the slew of healthcare providers involved in Jonathan’s care would have acted according to the standard of care, caught and treated his stroke earlier, and communicated more effectively, Jonathan’s life would look entirely different."
Jonathan was awarded $75 million following the 'completely avoidable' incident, as his family sued the chiropractor, the hospital, family GP Dr. Matthew Womack, radiologist James Waldschmidt, and neurologist Christopher Nickum.
A jury found that Womack and Waldschmidt had been 'grossly negligent', as Jonathan's father, Jack, said at the time: "I really feel like there's no real justice for somebody who lost every aspect of his life."
Cleveland Clinic explains that locked-in syndrome happens "when a part of your brainstem is damaged, usually from a stroke".
Additionally, the Stroke Association explained: "The brain stem controls some of the body's automatic functions such as sleep, awareness, breathing, and blood pressure. It also controls movement."
"If a stroke happens in the part of the brain stem that controls movement, it's possible for the person to keep awareness but not be able to move."
The rare health disorder means that a person is fully aware of their surroundings, but they are unable to move or speak, except in some cases, through eye movements.
There is no known cure, and patients require 24/7 care for the rest of their lives.
