patient story

patient name: Mayci Minnich

age: 16

condition: spine surgery following car accident

seen in: Emergency Department, Orthopedics

provider: Nicholas Gajewski, MD and Michael Albert, MD

In June 2023, Mayci, then 16, from Centerville, Ohio was in a serious single-car accident that left her severely injured.

She was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital where they did initial scans and imaging to determine the extent of her injuries. The team quickly realized she would require specialized care from Dayton Children’s Level 1 trauma center due to the fractures in her neck and back.

In addition to her spine, she had other injuries to her spinal cord, as well as a skull fracture, sternum fracture, bruised heart and lungs. Her care began in Dayton Chidlren’s emergency department where the trauma team kept her as comfortable as possible while they assessed her and prepped Mayci and her family for the days ahead. Once stabilized, Mayci spent a few days in the pediatric intensive care unit before she was scheduled for surgery with spine surgeons Nicholas Gajewksi, MD and Michael Albert, MD. During the seven-hour surgery, they worked to repair her damaged spine which involved placing rods and screws into her spine to stabilize her multiple injuries as well as correct the deformity caused by the accident.

After surgery, she was moved to inpatient rehab on the hospital’s seventh floor to begin her recovery. During her two and a half weeks on the unit, she was seen by specialists from physical therapy, occupational therapy, pain management, child life and psychology to optimize Mayci’s recovery and maximize her quality of life. She was also regularly visited by Millie, one of the hospital’s facility dogs, who helped brighten Mayci’s long days on the road to recovery.

“We had so many providers in the time we spent in the hospital, and we are incredibly grateful to every one of them who helped to provide comfort and care to our daughter, and an abundance of resources and information to my husband and myself,” said Mayci’s mom, Hillary.

the care continues

Following her initial hospital stay, Mayci had an incredible recovery from her spinal cord injury, and just six weeks after surgery she had regained nearly full strength and sensation back in her arms. She unfortunately had a setback six months after surgery when one of her rods broke requiring a revision surgery, but her strength and support from her family never wavered. Mayci had her revision surgery to her spine in mid-December and another admittance after Christmas that kept her in the hospital into January.

“During her last stay, we were up on the eighth floor, where again, the staff was top-notch,” said Hillary. “Dr. Gajewski even made a point to stop in regularly to check on Mayci, even while out for vacation time. All in all, she never felt anything less than loved and cared for by all of Dayton Children’s staff.”

The feeling between Dr. Gajewski, Mayci and her family was mutual.

“We are set apart at Dayton Children's because of our ability and willingness to treat not just the patient, but the entire family. Mayci, Hillary and Chris have become like family to me over the last year that I have had the pleasure of knowing them,” said Dr. Gajewski.

“Seeing patients like Mayci get stronger, recover, and get back to normal life is one of the best parts of my job. It has been an honor to be her surgeon and I look forward to being able to continue to support all her future endeavors in whatever way I can.”

Now, nearly a year after her accident, Mayci continues to receive care, working weekly with ortho rehabilitation to continue gaining strength and working with the mental health team to work through the traumatic event.

“Mayci is doing incredible! Her continued needs for her recovery are always being met. She knows her team is a MyKidsChart message or phone call away,” said Hillary.

what mattered to Mayci

“It has been extremely comforting to have a health care team who communicates and works together across all departments to ensure Mayci’s continued progress in all areas of her health and well-being,” said Hillary. “We cannot give enough praise to Dayton Children’s for being there for us through the scariest time of our lives, and for the continuous support our daughter has received in this year following.”