Patient Stories
Patient Stories
Payton’s Story
When Payton would fall asleep at night, her parents noticed her body tensing up almost like she was having a bad dream. They decided to visit the emergency room and were handed the diagnosis of epilepsy. Early on, Payton's parents were afraid of not knowing what this meant for their daughter and were uncertain of the choices they would have to make to ensure they were doing the best they possibly could for her. Finding out that a curative surgery was possible was amazing news and brought them a sense of relief. Payton’s father remembers Dr. Mazzola’s words that “during this surgery, your daughter is my daughter, and she'll be cared for as I would my own kids,” which gave him confidence that this was the right path. Payton’s mom remembers hearing her daughter’s voice after surgery tell her “I'm all good!” and knowing that they could look forward to more good dreams and wonderful memories with their resilient little girl.
Sam’s Story
After countless visits to several neurologists, Sam’s mom was devastated to hit a plateau in his treatment and felt that more could be done to help her son living with epilepsy. He had been hospitalized and repeatedly was having seizures, including some that were silent or not observable. The team at NJPNI presented epileptic surgery as a means to give Sam a chance at freedom from his seizures and to reduce his burden. It was incredibly encouraging for Sam’s mom to know that something else could in fact be done, which restored her sense of hope. Since having his surgery, Sam is now able to speak more words than he ever has, which is an improvement that many patients notice. Sam has continued to be a happy kid and a pleasure to know!
Check out these patient stories here - https://youtu.be/d8iAdzzRz3Q
Matteo’s Story
The excitement of bringing home baby Matteo turned into worry at 7 weeks old when he had his first seizure. Matteo was put on medications to help regulate his epilepsy, but as he continued to grow up and get bigger, his seizures kept coming back. He had to increase his dosages and add on additional medications. Despite this, his seizures unfortunately continued. Dr. Kornitzer sent him to the neurosurgical team to obtain a vagal nerve stimulator, a device that could be implanted in just a few hours and stop Matteo’s seizures before they even start. Matteo’s mother is now happy to report that he has now been seizure-free for over three months!