Injured Beauty Queen Has Part of Her Skull Stored in Her Stomach and Then Reattached to Her Head

The Bizarre Procedure Saved the Mrs. America Contestant's Life

Former Mrs. Idaho Jamie Hilton suffered a bizarre accident that led to an even more bizarre procedure that was necessary to save her life: doctors had to remove part of her skull, store it in her stomach and then reattach it to her head.

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Hilton, who also competed in the Mrs. America pageant, began her frightening medical journey in June, when she, her husband and his brother went fishing in Idaho.

She slipped while trying to reel in a catch, and fell 12 feet onto a boulder. When her husband ran down to her, she was not breathing and had no pulse, the U.K. Daily News Online reports.

Hilton began breathing again when her husband Nick lifted her, and she was airlifted to the hospital. But doctors found her brain to be very swollen, and with her life in jeopardy, they removed a quarter of her skull to alleviate the swelling.

And the skull was stored in her stomach -- for the next 42 days -- so the bone would remain healthy and be ready to be attached to her head once the brain had a chance to heal.

Hilton blogged about her injuries and recovery, including an update once her skull was finally put back in place.

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"Surgery went as well as expected! My skull is back in my head … really weird to say ;)," she wrote. "Stitches this time, not staples!"

Hilton's recovery continues as she's now back at home, the Daily Mail Online reports, and helping to run her family's taxi business.

And here's hoping their business is booming, because the Mail also reports that the Hilton's are now trying to pay off a six-figure medical bill for the surgeries that saved her life.