In a 6-year-old Southern California girl battling a rare brain disease, surgeons disabled one side of her brain due to chronic inflammation. According to the doctors, the medical procedure allows her to still be “the same person” and lead a normal life.
LOOK. Brianna suffers from the disease Rasmussen encephalitis, but there is always a smile on her face on Instagram.
Brianna Bodley (6) suffered from daily seizures due to the disease Rasmussen encephalitis: a chronic inflammation of the brain that can lead to permanent brain damage and deterioration of motor skills. The disease usually occurs in children in the first ten years of life.
In children with Rasmussen encephalitis, one hemisphere of the brain appears to be inflamed. This inflammation starts in a small part of the brain and gradually spreads to the rest of the cerebral hemisphere. Instead of removing part of her brain, as doctors usually do, pediatric neurosurgeon Aaron Robison of Loma Linda University Health decided that taking out half of Bodley’s brain was the most effective method.
“Just eliminating it is enough to completely stop the disease with the possibility of a complete cure,” said the pediatric neurosurgeon.
Last year, the six-year-old girl was diagnosed with the debilitating disease and it had a huge impact on her life. The girl who used to sing, dance and read often suffered from the disease every day. “Her leg bent up all the time and she had trouble walking,” said the girl’s mother, Crystal Bodley.
When the girl was given anti-seizure medication and steroids, she quickly gained weight and continued to deal with the effects of the advancing disease.
Doctors decided to turn off the non-functioning part of her brain by going through the natural opening of the brain.
The left side still functions and now takes over the tasks of the right side. According to doctors, the girl may have some vision loss and will lose some fine motor skills in her left hand, but physical therapy will help her become a typical 6-year-old again.
“Brianna will still be the same person even after half of her brain is turned off,” said pediatric neurosurgeon Robison.
The Bodley family has been posting on Instagram about Brianna’s road to recovery since her surgery in late September, which went smoothly. A few days ago, her mother announced on Instagram that Bodley was able to walk with assistance and the little girl was awake all day for the first time since the operation.
“Glad my baby is back and awake. She is still working on her balance and learning to walk. Finding things on the left side is difficult for her. She only knows that there is nothing there when she is told. Her pain is almost gone,” the mother said in a post.
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