Big smiles from Gloria after brain surgery
The seizures began a month after Gloria came home from the NICU. At first, they were subtle. But soon, they turned terrifying. Gloria would stop breathing, her face grey and listless. There were midnight trips to the emergency department and many nights at American Family Children’s Hospital. Medications offered no relief.
Gloria has Sturge-Weber Syndrome, a rare condition caused by a genetic mutation characterized by a port-wine birthmark, caused by small blood vessels under the skin that can also affect the brain.
“I knew other parents whose kids died from seizures,” Gloria’s mom, Laura, said. “We realized this could kill her unless we did something decisive.”
The best option was a hemispherectomy—surgery to disconnect one side of her brain. Laura and her husband, Brad, consulted with UW Health Kids neurologist Dr. David Hsu and neurosurgeon Dr. Raheel Ahmed. They also explored the options in larger cities.
“I remember waking up one morning with this overwhelming feeling: I can trust Dr. Ahmed to do this surgery. I can trust the team. I can trust Gloria will have a good outcome,” said Laura.
Gloria’s dad was in awe of her recovery following surgery. “It was so profound to see huge changes within the first four months,” Brad said. “She’s amazing, determined, full of personality.”
Gloria is now seizure-free, off medication and full of life. She walks, sings, dances and adores her baby brother, James.
“I’ll never forget the first time Gloria gave me a big toothy grin with scrunchy eyes,” Laura said. “I just cried—Oh, there’s my baby girl!”
Because of you, hope is possible for children living with seizures
Our Level IV Epilepsy Center offers the highest level of care—uniting experts in epilepsy, neurology, neurosurgery, neuropsychology, neuroradiology and nutrition. Donations from generous individuals like you helped expand our clinical care areas, as well as build the physical space and purchase technology for our Epilepsy Monitoring Unit where we record each child’s brain activity with incredible precision to pinpoint the source of the seizures—essential information our neurologists and neurosurgeons need to give each child the best chance at a life free from seizures.
Who we are:
1 of 2 Level IV Epilepsy Centers in Wisconsin
Patients come from Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan
There were 317 stays in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit last year
Our team analyzed 1,041,120 minutes of brain activity last year
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