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Alpha Curtis Hamilton has nasty setback during recovery from liver transplant, with collapsed spinal vertabrae

For years, Curtis Hamilton, 61, of Richland, Mississippi, lived with gradually worsening liver disease from Alpha-1 and waited on a transplant list in the hope of getting a new liver.

Finally, he got one July 3 this year – a perfect match. He was recovering well in an apartment near the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, where he received his transplant. He was getting his strength back steadily and looking forward to going home.

One Friday evening in late July, his legs started feeling “rubbery,” and by Monday morning there was no feeling in his legs and he couldn’t move them.

He was rushed into an MRI scan. The doctors reported he had a compression fracture from collapsed vertebrae in his spine, causing spinal cord damage that paralyzed him from the waist down.

The spinal injury is unrelated to the liver transplant he received just three weeks before, the doctors said. “They said this would have happened sooner or later, any small movement could have done it,” said Rosa Hamilton, Curtis’ wife.

With no other choice, Hamilton underwent yet another eight-hour surgery. Doctors supported his fragile spine with a metal rod and bolts. After surgery, they told him his chances of walking again are slim.

How did he deal with the news? “God brought me this far and he’s going to bring me through this,” he told Rosa.

He is receiving rehabilitation therapy for his spine. His new liver is still doing fine.

In a couple of weeks they will return home. Rosa will be able to stay home with her husband, thanks to his VA benefits and Social Security. She’ll cook for him and make sure he eats right. They will “live a normal life,” she said.

Back in Richland, another family member excitedly awaits Hamilton’s return. To four-year old Aubree Isabella, it never mattered if her grandfather came home using a walker or in a wheelchair. She is simply exited to have him around.

“We just keep giving him hope,” said Rosa’s sister, Rita Ramos. “He has people that love him very well, and we’ll be there no matter what.”

Read Curtis’ Story in our Alpha Stories