'Life-Changing Surgery': California Doctors Switch Off Half Of 6-Year-Old Girl¡¯s Brain To Save Her Life

In a remarkable medical procedure, doctors at Loma Linda University Health in California made the decision to deactivate half of a young girl's brain to save her life.

The 6-year-old Brianna Bodley patient was diagnosed with Rasmussen's encephalitis, a condition characterized by brain inflammation. Left untreated, this disease could have resulted in permanent brain damage and the deterioration of her motor skills.

However, thanks to the skilled medical team, Bodley now has the chance to lead a normal life despite one side of her brain being deactivated.

When a doctor asked 6-year-old Brianna Bodley about her headache, she responded without moving. Her mother gently held her hand and encouraged her to explain where her head hurt.

How did doctors save Brianna's life?

Dr. Aaron Robison, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Loma Linda University Health, recently performed a delicate 10-hour surgery to disconnect half of Brianna's brain, and the stitches from the procedure are still fresh.

"After surgery, the entire left side of her body is turned off," said the girl's mother, Crystal Bodley.

Last year, doctors diagnosed Brianna with Rasmussen's encephalitis, a rare disease that affects about 500 children in the U.S. annually.

She used to be a vibrant young girl who loved singing, dancing, and reading. However, she began experiencing daily debilitating seizures that would eventually cause learning difficulties and paralysis.

"Her leg would bend up all the time, and she would have trouble walking," said Bodley.

As the seizures and inflammation damaged one side of Brianna's brain, it caused that part of her brain to shrink. We initially encountered Brianna in January when she received treatment with anti-seizure medications and steroids, but her condition continued to worsen.

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"She would talk to me sometimes and said she was scared, but I told her, 'I know it's scary, but you will be okay,'" said her sister Torie Bodley.

Robison explained that Brianna's best action was disconnecting half of her brain.

"Just disconnecting it is enough to stop the disease completely and potentially cure it," he said.

In the past, doctors used to remove half of the brain, but that approach often resulted in more complications.

Nowadays, it's possible to disconnect the nonfunctioning part of the brain. Robison explained that an elegant method for doing this is through the brain's natural opening, known as the Sylvian fissure.

"That enables us to cut away the white matter from the thalamus here," he said.

Brianna's left brain hemisphere has taken over the functions previously handled by the right side. However, medical professionals emphasize that even with only half a brain, one can lead a fulfilling life.

"Brianna will still be the same person, even after disconnecting half her brain," Robison said.

Brianna might experience some loss of peripheral vision and fine motor skills in her left hand.

Still, with the help of different physical therapies, doctors anticipate her returning to her normal self, free from seizures.

"I just want to see her little Brianna running around doing her artwork and having the fun she always had," said her grandmother, Chris Breheim.

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