Isla was born with epilepsy which was discovered at just 5 days old! She was then diagnosed with malformation on the left side of the brain. This was the reason her brain would seize, these seizures were happening everyday. Isla then developed a different kind of epileptic seizure at just a month old called infantile spasms. These seizures where happening every time she would wake from sleep and Isla will have anything from 50-100 seizures a day. Thankfully a strong medication helped the spasms to stop, but the focal seizure’s still continued. Islas epilepsy was not able to be treated with medication.

After loads of tests carried out at Great Ormand Street we was told she was a candidate for epilepsy surgery.  The brain surgery Isla had was a hemispherectomy this is when one side of the brain is surgically disconnected from the rest of the brain. So in simple terms she has ‘half a brain’. The surgery took place on 14th of May 2020. This is in all hope that Isla will now become seizure free. However disconnecting the left side of her brain means that she now can’t move the right side of her body. Something called cerebral palsy hemiplegia this will never go away but we can begin to try and wake up this side with the constant physio we are receiving but isla needs something more intense so Isla is given the chance to use that side as much as possible.

We are trying to raise funds for a intense therapy called ‘constraint induce mobility therapy’ this isn’t funded by the NHS and has to be paid for privately. There is loads of research to show that this works and helps people with Islas condition.

Islas dad, family and friends will also be running in the 10k Tough Mudder in April 2021 to also help raise money.

Thank you to those who share and donate we are truly grateful ❤️