Kianna's Journey: Epilepsy Brain Surgery

This is 10-year-old Kianna-Mae! She loves playing soccer, being a girl scout, singing and dancing and most of all her family!

At 6 months old she started having seizures. Fast Forward to today and she continues to have major seizures and medicine is no longer helping.

Kianna suffered a perinatal stroke in utero. Since she was eight months old she's been receiving physical and occupational therapy. Recently we noticed significant developmental delays, and just weeks before moving out of the state we were referred to Neurology at Arnold Palmer in Orlando.

She received his stroke and Cerebral Palsy diagnosis at 6 months old.

Kianna was prescribed the first of numerous medications after her first seizure. She was prescribed an emergency medication that is kept near her at all times. If a seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, she receives this med. She takes her medicine 2x daily. This medication was increased after each seizure. Until she eventually reached maximum dosage.

KIanna's very rare brain surgery, a hemispherectomy, is scheduled for September 26th, 2023. The procedure involves surgically opening her skull to remove damaged tissue caused by her stroke. Kianna will also have the left hemisphere of her brain completely disconnected. Specific risks of this surgery include loss of movement to her right side, fluid on the brain, loss of visual field and a speech deficit. Kianna's recovery is expected to include a one to two-week hospital stay.

We will be trusting our family to love and care for Kyle (our 12 year old son) while we concentrate on Kianna's healing and care 15 hours away from home in Orlando.

I am asking for your help to ease some of our financial hardships. With your love and support, Kianna can have her mom and dad's full attention. Samantha (mom) and Jeremy (dad) can concentrate on Kianna's recovery and be secure in the fact that our finances at home won't suffer. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your prayers.