Luigi Mangioni, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, wrote online of the “devastating” effect a chronic back condition had on him as a young man.
In a series of archived posts from a now-deleted Reddit account with the username Mister_Cactus, the 26-year-old wrote posts spanning several years that he suffered from “spondy,” a reference to spondylolisthesis, a condition caused by a vertebra slipping out of place and putting pressure on the bones below.
In one post he said: “It is absolutely brutal to have such a life-halting issue.”
He said that he aggravated the condition in a surfing accident that caused his back and hips to “lock up.”
In a 2023 post on the subreddit, or chatroom, dedicated to spondylolisthesis Mangione wrote: “When my spondy went bad on me last year … it was completely devastating as a young athletic person. Seemingly all I could read on the internet was that I was destined to chronic pain and a desk job for the rest of my life.”
He went on to say however that “that representation was terrifying, inaccurate and completely destroyed me until I realized the silent majority of fusions are highly successful.”
Spinal fusion surgery is where vertebrae are joined with metal plates, screws or rods to prevent the painful effects of them moving against each other, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Investigators said Monday they were looking into whether an X-ray image uploaded to Mangione’s X account, showing metal screws inserted, was genuine.
Mangione wrote in February this year of having spinal surgery six months earlier after “failed conservative treatment.”
Elsewhere, he suffered from sciatica and lower back pain as well as numbness in his right toe. He said his toe “used to go completely numb anytime I walked,” though he went on to say this symptom had improved. He posted about suffering from restless sleep as well as “bladder and genital pain.”
In other posts from the now-deleted account, Mangione shared detailed tips on what kind of backpack and other gear to go traveling with, as well as fantasy football and the mobile game Pokemon Go.
But also he offered advice to other spondylolisthesis sufferers on how to persuade surgeons and healthcare providers to carry out operations in the face of rejections.
“Keep trying different surgeons,” he wrote in response to one person who had apparently complained of being refused surgery in April this year. “‘No one will operate on my back until I’m 40’ is nonsense coming from a medical professional who lacks perspective. If you back is broken and it’s unlivable, age has nothing to do with it.”
Mangione suggests as a “nuclear option” the person could “fake a foot drop or piss yourself.”
He offers support and advice to several others who have apparently been refused surgery.
