One Small Step
After undergoing controversial surgery, Darek Fidyka is taking his first steps toward recovery. D. T. Max reports.
Doctors use morbid bingo-like codes to gauge injury severity—"C3s" or "T8s"—abbreviations that instantly communicate a patient's fate. Darek Fidyka, a T9, was stabbed by his girlfriend's jealous ex-husband. What follows is the story of a pioneering surgery that would give him back movement.