CSP Team Note: Titus Grandstaff’s story was originally posted on Levine Children’s Hospital’s blog. We are so happy to share it with you here!
Titus Grandstaff was ahead of the curve, developing faster in almost all areas than most toddlers his age. But in August of 2015, everything changed for Titus and his family.
At just 3 years old, Titus started having seizures.
He stayed overnight at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Jeff Gordon Children’s Center in Concord, where specialists closely monitored his brain activity. In the first two hours alone, Titus had over 200 seizures.
Diagnosed with epilepsy, his condition only worsened, and Titus began displaying every type of seizure, every day. His care team knew they needed to act – and fast.
Going straight to the source
Medications helped manage Titus’ seizures, but they also made him listless and tired. Besides, his Levine Children’s care team wanted to do more than manage his seizures – they wanted to go straight to the source.
And that’s exactly what they did. “We were able to find a small spot in his brain called a heterotopia that was causing many of his seizures,” says Nicole Brockway, MD, a pediatric neurologist at Levine Children’s.
Using a new laser technology – called laser ablation – Titus underwent minimally invasive surgery at Levine Children’s Hospital to clear up the area in his brain that was causing his seizures. Ultimately, this procedure will result in not only fewer seizures, but also fewer medications.
“Titus and his family are still on their epilepsy treatment journey, but the surgery has significantly helped reduce his seizure burden,” says Dr. Brockway.
Catching up in every way
Before Titus’ surgery, he was taking 10 medications and having seizures all the time – even with his eyes open, even when he was talking, even when you couldn’t tell. In the year since his laser ablation procedure at LCH, he’s down to four medications and is seizure-free during the day.
At their worst, Titus’ seizures made even standing a challenge, and he was struggling to learn at school. Now an outgoing kindergartener who’s never met a stranger, Titus is well on his way to catching up academically.
“Before, it really was a thing where Titus wouldn’t be able to live a normal life. He wouldn’t be able to go out and get a job and be on his own,” says Kammie, Titus’ mom. “Now he’s going to be able to do all those things, and that’s just amazing.”
Most importantly, a life with fewer seizures means that 6-year-old Titus can pick up right where he left off – and just be a kid again.
For more amazing stories from Levine Children’s Hospital, click here.
Levine Children’s
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