A man made a heartbreaking request to his parents after a basic chiropractic appointment left him with locked-in syndrome.
On October 26, 2015, Jonathan Buckelew underwent a neck adjustment, but tragically, he fell unconscious and was taken to North Fulton Hospital.
Family attorney Lloyd Bell expressed the heartbreak of the situation to the New York Post: “This case is heartbreaking because Jonathan’s paralysis and brain damage were completely avoidable.
"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.”
Instead, Jonathan was diagnosed with locked-in syndrome - a rare neurological disorder that rendered him conscious but trapped in a body he could no longer move.
He cannot speak, walk, or eat independently; the only communication he has is through eye movements and a keypad controlled by his nose.
Jonathan’s parents, Jack and Janice, have converted their home into a 24/7 care facility to support their son. “He wants to do things, he wants to go places - it just breaks our heart to see him like he is,” Jack said to Atlanta News First.
Due to his condition, Jonathan has been known to make heartbreaking requests of his parents.
"There are some days where he’s like ‘pull the plug,’ so those are the tough days,” they said.
The couple relies on nurses and an extensive supply of medical equipment stored in their garage. “We do work really hard to keep at least two months ahead on the supplies... We created an ICU, honestly,” Jack added.
After years of legal proceedings, a Georgia court awarded a monumental $75 million verdict. Dr. Matthew Womack was found liable and ordered to pay $40 million.
In total, Jonathan received $29 million for medical expenses and an additional $46 million for pain and suffering.
The lawsuit also named the hospital, chiropractor, and neurologist Dr. Christopher Nickum. While radiologist James Waldschmidt has dropped his appeal, Womack is appealing to the Georgia Supreme Court.
The Buckelews’ legal team maintains that medical staff ignored clear stroke symptoms and violated hospital protocols.
Bell clarified: “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.”