Navigating an Emergency in Hawaii to Care in San Diego with Support of The Concierge Team
Scripps surgeons treat severe neck injury after Hawaii accident
Abhi Adappa and his family walk on the beach following his recovery.
Scripps surgeons treat severe neck injury after Hawaii accident
Last December, Abhi Adappa, Qualcomm Director of Engineering and Premier Plan member, had a Christmas vacation with his family they’ll never forget. The first day was what holiday memories are made of: sightseeing around the Hawaiian island of Kauai and enjoying quality time together.
On the second day, Abhi and his teenage daughter, Nishka, decided to spend an afternoon boogie boarding — an activity they’d enjoyed many times at home in San Diego and on previous Hawaiian vacations.
“The first wave thrashed me around a bit, but I didn’t think much of it,” Abhi recalls. “But then I caught the second wave at the top and it immediately faceplanted me to the sea floor. Luckily, there were no rocks in that spot — it would have been much worse — but I hit my forehead hard on the sand. The force of the wave somersaulted me forward and I landed on my neck. Thankfully, I didn’t lose consciousness.”
Abhi regained his footing and instantly knew something was very wrong.
“I was in a lot of pain in my neck and back — in fact, I couldn’t take a full breath, I was in so much pain,” he continues. “My daughter was still in the water, and I turned to look at her and I heard a crunch in my neck.”
After about 10 minutes, Abhi’s daughter checked on her father and noticed his head was bruised and bleeding. They realized he needed immediate attention and bystanders offered Abhi ice for his head and called for help.
Lifeguards from neighboring Poipu Beach arrived and put Abhi in a neck brace while they waited for paramedics, who gently placed him on a stretcher for transport to a local emergency room. There, Abhi had a CT scan and X-rays to determine the extent of his injuries. With no neurologist or spine specialist in Kauai, Abhi’s emergency physicians contacted a trauma doctor on the island of Oahu.
“He confirmed that I broke the C1 and C2 vertebrae on my cervical spine and also had a compression fracture. That meant I would definitely need surgery,” he explains.
A few days later, Abhi and his wife took a short 45-minute commercial flight to Oahu. There, he underwent more imaging and learned that after just a few days of minimal movement, the bony fragments had moved precariously close to his spinal cord.
“The neurosurgeon in Oahu said I needed to either have the surgery there or get a Medevac back to San Diego,” Abhi says. “By this point, it was very clear in my mind that I wanted to have the surgery back home in San Diego, where I have my whole support system.”
Decisions, logistics and help from the Concierge team
Decisions, logistics and help from the Concierge team
“The concierge team made all the difference. They were the bridge between us and the care we needed. I hope others in similar situations take advantage of the concierge service.”
Abhi AdappaThe days that followed the accident were filled with logistical questions, emotional stress and mounting uncertainties. Abhi and his family faced difficult choices about transportation, medical facilities and the financial implications of emergency care. That’s when the Qualcomm Premier Plan concierge team stepped in.
“The team was instrumental in guiding us through an incredibly challenging situation,” Abhi shared. “Navigating insurance requirements, coordinating with medical teams across multiple islands and arranging a medevac were all things we had no experience with. They brought clarity to a process that felt overwhelming.”
The concierge team’s efforts didn’t stop with the initial logistics and planning. They worked to ensure that Abhi’s transition to Scripps was as seamless as possible. This included coordinating with the medical team and advocating for the patient’s medevac approval with insurance providers.
“Health care can be so complex, and when you’re dealing with an injury like mine, you have more questions than answers,” he added. “The concierge team made all the difference. They were the bridge between us and the care we needed. I hope others in similar situations take advantage of the concierge service.”
Once the Adappas arrived in San Diego, Abhi was confident he’d be ringing in the New Year on the road to recovery.
“Just landing in San Diego was such a relief,” he says. “Knowing that after such an ordeal, we were finally home, was a big weight off our shoulders.”
Abhi was admitted to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where he prepared for surgery with Gregory Mundis, MD, a Scripps Clinic orthopedic spinal surgeon. Scripps’ spine specialists are nationally recognized experts and provide some of the most advanced minimally invasive spine surgery available. Scripps is also consistently ranked as having one of the top orthopedic programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
Abhi’s surgery went off without a hitch. He remained in the hospital for three days, working with the trauma team on swallowing issues caused by the injury and with occupational therapy to kick his recovery into gear. Abhi is thrilled with how well he is doing and is optimistic that his range of motion will continue to improve as time goes on. He’s grateful to Scripps and the Premier Plan concierge team for coordinating from afar and providing exceptional care once he made it back to the mainland.