Also known as: Picket fence impalement
Mac, a child with Fragile X Syndrome, impales his shoulder on a picket fence while trying to climb over it. The picket splintered inside his shoulder but did not compromise vital organs, nerves, or arteries. He undergoes surgery to remove the foreign body.
Mac has Fragile X Syndrome, a genetic disorder causing intellectual disability, behavioral issues, and hyperactivity. His condition creates significant caregiver burden for his mother Nicole, who struggles with his aggressive behavior and eventual placement in a residential facility.
Also known as: Fall injuries
Kitty falls while free solo climbing and sustains multiple injuries including heel bone fractures, ankle fractures, cervical fractures (broken neck), and internal bleeding. The cervical fracture is the primary focus requiring surgical intervention.
Also known as: Broken neck
Kitty has cervical fractures from her climbing fall. Two surgical options are discussed: spinal fusion (safer, more restrictive) versus Odontoid Screw Procedure (maintains range of motion but riskier). Her parents seek to have her declared incompetent to prevent the riskier surgery that would allow her to climb again.
Also known as: Cut hand
Mac's mother Nicole sustains a severe hand laceration initially claimed to be from a window, but revealed to be caused by Mac during a violent episode. She requires emergency surgery to repair nerve, vessel, and ligament damage.
Also known as: ICU psychosis
Dr. Glassman experiences visual and auditory hallucinations of his deceased daughter Maddie following his brain tumor surgery. Initially suspected to be ICU psychosis or a sign of surgical complications, it becomes a therapeutic vision allowing him to process his grief and guilt over her death.
Also known as: GBM, terminal brain cancer
Dr. Glassman is recovering from brain tumor surgery and experiencing complications including hallucinations and sleep disturbance. His ongoing battle with brain cancer is the backdrop for his emotional processing of his daughter's death.
Also known as: Sleeping pill overdose
Kitty's history includes a suicide attempt by sleeping pill overdose four years prior after being dumped on Twitter, requiring ER treatment. This history is used by her parents to argue for her mental incompetence regarding her surgical decision.
Also known as: Reckless behavior
Kitty has a documented pattern of extreme risk-taking through free solo climbing, with multiple previous serious injuries including broken arm, concussion, shattered femur, ruptured spleen, broken pelvis, and skull fracture with coma. Her parents argue this constitutes mental incompetence requiring intervention.