The Wonders of the Brain
Why is our brain Important?
Many know that the brain is what controls everything in the body, it is the hard drive that controls how your body will go through life. However, not a lot people actually know what the brain can do specifically and what parts do what job. Each person has a left and a right brain that control the opposite sides of the body. Your left brain controls language, logic, problem solving, etc. while your right brain controls imagination, art, feelings, etc. Both sides are important mechanisms for the body to properly function.
Cameron Mott
Cameron was a6 year old girl suffering Rasmussens Encephalitis which caused her to have seizures throughout her daily life. The seizures were beginning to take a toll on her body and her brain, meaning the seizures were beginning to affect her brain power and ability to function properly. She was having to wear a helmet and other padding on her body constantly because the seizures would hit her unexpectedly and she was hurting herself on impact with the floor. Doctors suggested she have a hemispherectomy to remove the right side of her brain that was causing her seizures.
She underwent surgery and successfully had the right side of her brain removed, however, the recovery following the surgery to see if she could function as a normal 6 year old girl was going to be the hardest part of the entire process. Coming out of surgery the entire left side of her body wasn't functioning normally at first. She began physical therapy and eventually was able to walk and think normally, however, she never got full use of her left hand again but did get some motor skills in it.
Why does this matter?
Many people that under go brain surgery come out completely dependent on someone because they can no longer function properly. This little girl got the entire right side of her brain removed and the left side of her brain adapted to compensate for both sides. It evolved so that she could function without being completely dependent on her parents for the rest of her life. This is amazing and shows that each human body can do whatever it takes to keep a person functioning. Its something that scientists can use in the future to help others that need something similar done for them. Though Cameron lost half of her brain her behavior only changed slightly because the other side of her brain picked up the slack and to make sure that her body could function as normally as possible. I think this is because our bodies are always changing and wanting to keep equilibrium and to do that her left brain had to make changes in order to maintain an equilibrium. She was slower than normal the first couple of days after her surgery but her body adjusted and she didn't have any disabilities that kept her from being a normal little girl.
Why do I care?
This story hits home for me because I spent a lot of time in the hospital and in physical therapy as an 8 year old girl because I have a rare bone disease that needed treatment. I still to this day take antibiotics for it so I understand her on a personal level when it comes to having to constantly be in the hospital and having to go through lots of treatment. My case wasn't as drastic as hers in any way but I know how hard it is to have to go through something like this at a young age, not fully understanding what your doing or why you have to do everything. In my opinion I think its amazing she recovered so well is able to live life like a normal little girl. The doctor that did her surgery said that in some cases the patient becomes completely dependent on other people to care for them and for her to recover the way she did is a praise. Watching the video I did think that her intellectual functions would suffer slightly due to losing such a huge amount of her brain but she didn't lose much and what she did lose her left brain made up for it and began to do the job of a left and right brain. She entered school not long after being recovered which indicates she has the intellectual capacity to learn with other kids her age and not fall too far behind.
The Future?
In a follow up article Cameron is now in the 6th grade with full use of her left leg and even more motor skills in her left arm. She has a lot of friends and leads a completely normal life for an 11 year old girl. She hasn't had any seizures since her surgery and hasn't had any serious issues with learning or walking or talking. Her left brain has done an amazing job picking up the slack of the right brain and going above and beyond to keep her body fully functioning. Her parents are very thankful that she did so well in regards to the surgery and even say that before the surgery she was a little girl who had lost her spunk but afterwards she gained her confidence and spunkiness back. She's more talkative and responsive, able to be the way a little girl should without having to worry about having seizures all the time. That has all translated to how she lives now as a growing teenager and how shell evolve more as she continues to get older.
Many know that the brain is what controls everything in the body, it is the hard drive that controls how your body will go through life. However, not a lot people actually know what the brain can do specifically and what parts do what job. Each person has a left and a right brain that control the opposite sides of the body. Your left brain controls language, logic, problem solving, etc. while your right brain controls imagination, art, feelings, etc. Both sides are important mechanisms for the body to properly function.
Cameron Mott
Cameron was a6 year old girl suffering Rasmussens Encephalitis which caused her to have seizures throughout her daily life. The seizures were beginning to take a toll on her body and her brain, meaning the seizures were beginning to affect her brain power and ability to function properly. She was having to wear a helmet and other padding on her body constantly because the seizures would hit her unexpectedly and she was hurting herself on impact with the floor. Doctors suggested she have a hemispherectomy to remove the right side of her brain that was causing her seizures.
She underwent surgery and successfully had the right side of her brain removed, however, the recovery following the surgery to see if she could function as a normal 6 year old girl was going to be the hardest part of the entire process. Coming out of surgery the entire left side of her body wasn't functioning normally at first. She began physical therapy and eventually was able to walk and think normally, however, she never got full use of her left hand again but did get some motor skills in it.
Why does this matter?
Many people that under go brain surgery come out completely dependent on someone because they can no longer function properly. This little girl got the entire right side of her brain removed and the left side of her brain adapted to compensate for both sides. It evolved so that she could function without being completely dependent on her parents for the rest of her life. This is amazing and shows that each human body can do whatever it takes to keep a person functioning. Its something that scientists can use in the future to help others that need something similar done for them. Though Cameron lost half of her brain her behavior only changed slightly because the other side of her brain picked up the slack and to make sure that her body could function as normally as possible. I think this is because our bodies are always changing and wanting to keep equilibrium and to do that her left brain had to make changes in order to maintain an equilibrium. She was slower than normal the first couple of days after her surgery but her body adjusted and she didn't have any disabilities that kept her from being a normal little girl.
Why do I care?
This story hits home for me because I spent a lot of time in the hospital and in physical therapy as an 8 year old girl because I have a rare bone disease that needed treatment. I still to this day take antibiotics for it so I understand her on a personal level when it comes to having to constantly be in the hospital and having to go through lots of treatment. My case wasn't as drastic as hers in any way but I know how hard it is to have to go through something like this at a young age, not fully understanding what your doing or why you have to do everything. In my opinion I think its amazing she recovered so well is able to live life like a normal little girl. The doctor that did her surgery said that in some cases the patient becomes completely dependent on other people to care for them and for her to recover the way she did is a praise. Watching the video I did think that her intellectual functions would suffer slightly due to losing such a huge amount of her brain but she didn't lose much and what she did lose her left brain made up for it and began to do the job of a left and right brain. She entered school not long after being recovered which indicates she has the intellectual capacity to learn with other kids her age and not fall too far behind.
The Future?
In a follow up article Cameron is now in the 6th grade with full use of her left leg and even more motor skills in her left arm. She has a lot of friends and leads a completely normal life for an 11 year old girl. She hasn't had any seizures since her surgery and hasn't had any serious issues with learning or walking or talking. Her left brain has done an amazing job picking up the slack of the right brain and going above and beyond to keep her body fully functioning. Her parents are very thankful that she did so well in regards to the surgery and even say that before the surgery she was a little girl who had lost her spunk but afterwards she gained her confidence and spunkiness back. She's more talkative and responsive, able to be the way a little girl should without having to worry about having seizures all the time. That has all translated to how she lives now as a growing teenager and how shell evolve more as she continues to get older.
Beautiful writing. Thanks Madelyn for sharing about your life and bringing Cameron's story close to each of us as readers.
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