SHORT VERSION:
Shaun King (@shaunking) is a writer for the NY Daily News, former Daily Kos writer, who gained prominence as a 'Black Lives Matter' activist following the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. He has since amassed over 500,000 Twitter followers, and has been featured on CNN among other media outlets. One of his primary focuses is police brutality and transparency.
Shaun has been publicly accused of lying about numerous aspects of his backstory, including his race (which was national news at one point in time). Additionally, he's been accused of financial impropriety and plagiarism. None of that is my concern here. This is a journalistic expose on a previously untouched aspect of his backstory, his medical history.
Shaun writes extensively about an incident that occurred in 1995, in which he was brutally beaten by his classmates. He claims it was "one of Kentucky's first registered hate crimes". His life-threatening injuries required over 3 major spine surgeries, and resulted in lifelong disability and chronic pain.
As a physician sub-specializing in spinal disorders, I can say with confidence that Shaun King has, yet again, deceived everyone.
The key to my understanding is Shaun's description of the events, based on his own words. Shaun says he was told, six months after the assault, he'd require "the first in a SERIES of PAINFUL spine surgeries". 'Painful' is emphasized because most spinal surgeries relieve pain. 'Series' is emphasized because very few spinal surgeries are planned as a series. Trauma would be repaired in a single surgery, not 2 or 3. Additionally, trauma would be repaired right away, not 6 months later. What were they waiting for in the six months between the assault and that discussion?
Unbeknownst to Shaun, he has described a very unique but not uncommon series of events consistent with the repair of adolescent scoliosis. It is unique in that the repair is done in stages, and tends to be painful (analogous to dental orthodontics, slow and constant pressure on the spine bending it back into place).
More than likely, Shaun was diagnosed with scoliosis (completely unrelated to trauma) around the time of the fight, perhaps directly afterward when he went to the emergency room. He had a chest radiograph for rib pain, was deemed healthy aside from minor scrapes, and was sent home. The chest radiograph likely showed the abnormal spine curvature (not an emergency), at which point he was scheduled to see an orthopedic surgeon for consultation. Over 6 months later, it was recommended he have a series of painful spinal surgeries.
There are glaring inconsistencies in Shaun's public statements about his medical history. Nobody has ever questioned his account, until now. Shaun has repeatedly claimed that a vicious hate crime has crippled him for life. If the surgeries were for adolescent scoliosis, as I am proposing, Shaun King would be equivalent to an individual faking cancer for sympathy and donations.
LONG VERSION: