Archive for neurosurgery
Advice for moyamoya families from a mom who’s been there
About a year ago, our 4-year-old daughter, Kalea, started having headaches. After four months, we called our pediatrician because the headaches were far from normal for Kalea and had progressed enough to become worrisome. The pediatrician advised us to track her headaches, and we learned that they fluctuated in frequency but were increasing in intensity. ... Read More about Advice for moyamoya families from a mom who’s been there
Looking toward the future in epilepsy care and treatment
“There’s a revolution happening in epilepsy treatment,” says Dr. Philip Pearl, director of Boston Children’s Hospital Epilepsy Center. Dr. Pearl and other members of the center celebrate Epilepsy Awareness Month by sharing what excites them about the future of epilepsy treatment, from targeted therapies to minimally invasive surgeries, and their continued hope for our patients ... Read More about Looking toward the future in epilepsy care and treatment
Ski and snowboard safety: Helmet guide
They’re large and they mess up your hair. Nonetheless, more than 80 percent of skiers and snowboarders wore helmets during the 2017-2018 season. The rise in helmet use is welcome news for specialists in sports medicine and traumatic brain injury prevention, says Jessie Oldham, a postdoctoral researcher who focuses on sport-related concussion. Oldham recently shared ... Read More about Ski and snowboard safety: Helmet guide
Everli: Living her best life after atlantoaxial instability
When they travelled to the orphanage in China in early 2018, Shannon and Matt Gottschalk knew the toddler they hoped to adopt had Down syndrome. They knew she had been abandoned by the side of a highway and delivered to an orphanage by the farmer who’d found her. The couple was surprised, however, that at ... Read More about Everli: Living her best life after atlantoaxial instability
Violet is blossoming five years after Tessier cleft surgery
In October 2014, Violet and her parents traveled from their home in rural Oregon to Boston Children’s Hospital for a life-changing surgery. Violet, who was born with an extremely rare and serious craniofacial anomaly, called a Tessier cleft, needed an operation to close the gap in her facial bones. After nine hours in the surgical ... Read More about Violet is blossoming five years after Tessier cleft surgery
Libby’s story: Finding a surgical path to seizure control
Seven years ago, while my husband was visiting his parents in Washington, D.C., I traveled with our 3-year-old daughter, Libby, to Boston Children’s Hospital via ambulance from New Hampshire. Libby had been sick with a bad cold and had been acting unusually, with short episodes of rapid eye movement and stuttered speech. An epilepsy diagnosis ... Read More about Libby’s story: Finding a surgical path to seizure control
Amelia makes a special connection with her EEG tech
Amelia arrived at Boston Children’s Hospital in August with a present in her small hands. The gift was for one of Amelia’s favorite people at the hospital, electroencephalographic (EEG) technician Katie Tucker. Tucker has been Amelia’s primary EEG tech since she was just 7 months old. “We first traveled up to Boston Children’s from New ... Read More about Amelia makes a special connection with her EEG tech
Finding the best care for Zeeva
When our 8-year-old daughter, Zeeva, giggles and runs in her walker to the swing set, it’s like watching pure childhood joy. Understanding what it has taken to get her to this point, though, is close to unimaginable. Zeeva is one of fewer than 150 people in the world with a rare disease called Gould Syndrome ... Read More about Finding the best care for Zeeva
Saif looks ahead to life after spine surgery
Saif and his mother, Khawha Abbas, both had questions for Dr. Daniel Hedequist. For the past nine months, the family had lived in Boston while Saif underwent treatment for a severe spinal deformity. They were scheduled return to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that evening, but first, Saif wanted to know if he would be ... Read More about Saif looks ahead to life after spine surgery
Back from the brink: How Boston Children’s saved my life
I was first rushed to Boston Children’s Hospital on my very first night of summer vacation in June 2015. I had been at an eighth-grade graduation party when a brain aneurysm caused by an AVM (arteriovenous malformation) ruptured. All the blood and swelling in my head generated the worst headache I had ever felt. I ... Read More about Back from the brink: How Boston Children’s saved my life