First off, unless he had a skull fracture or a very bad concussion, is there reason to think he'll have brain damage? Did the doctor suggest he might?

Are they making him wear a HARD cervical collar? Can't he switch to a soft one at night for sleeping? Or is this screwed to his head? Does he have neuro deficits? If so, what are they? If they do a fusion, MAKE THEM use cadaver bone, and NOT his own bone from his hip!!! If they use his own bone, he'll be in TERRIBLE PAIN for a very long time!!! It won't make any difference in healing.

Your Dad should be able to feel both arms/hands/all fingers without paiin or numbness or tingling. He should NOT have any pain in his legs/feet. Believe it or not, the neck can cause pain in the lower limbs. He also shouldn't have any tingling/numbness in the legs/feet. All of these neuro "symptoms" are for the NORMAL person ~ if your Dad has some of these things, obviously it's caused by the injury, but it doesn't necessarily mean that he'll need surgery. There's going to be swelling in the cervical area for some time ~ and that needs to reduce before the doc will know if surgery is warranted.

Hopefully others will chime in with more info. Best of luck with your Dad and PLEASE keep us posted on his progress! God bless. Hugs, Lee