With permission from Evie's mum Jody Curtis, I have been allowed to dedicate this post to Princess Evie & help spread awareness for Brain Aneurysms.
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An aneurysm is a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall that causes an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon. Aneurysms are a result of a weakened blood vessel wall, and may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired.
1 in 15 people develop a brain aneurysm rupture. 44% of ruptures are fatal & 66% are survivors. Little Evie is a survivor.
Little Evie was a normal, happy & healthy 9 year old little lady, that loved to dance, skip & sing! but on the 8th May 2018, Evie was rushed to Nottingham Children's Hospital by air ambulance after complaining of neck pain & then collapsing at home. Jody, Evie's mum, was told that Evie had suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm, all this time Evie had lived with this time bomb & she had zero symptoms until the the aneurysm burst. This lead to Evie suffering with a huge bleed on her brain, she was taken to theater immediately, & thankfully, doctors were able to coil the aneurysm & stop the bleeding. Evie was then placed into an induced coma to protect her brain.
Altogether Evie suffered two brain bleeds, & during the second surgery the doctors tried to remove her aneurysm but it was too risky, so instead they removed some skull bones in that area to reduced the swelling that was causing the second bleed. Before surgery only one of Evie's pupils were reacting to light, but afterwards, due to the removal of part of her skull, both of her pupils were finally once again reacting to light.
One 14th May, Evie was taken for a CT scan to check & see if the removal of her skull bones helped to reduced the swelling, this was a positive result regarding the swelling but Jody was also told that when Evie had the second bleed, she also suffered a stroke, but Evie was still fighting strong & doctors decided to bring her off life support, leaving her with just her oxygen to see how she got on, this was positive & Evie began to make small movement on her right side, & even break wind. Over the coming days, Evie began to make small movements & she finally opened her eyes for the first time on 16th May 2018, 7 days after her ordeal but still wasn't full conscious.
On 17th May, little Evie was extubated & the tube was taken out of her throat to see if she was able to manage her airway all on her own. Evie remained asleep but continued to make movements in her sleep which nurses all said were good signs. Evie developed an infection on 18th May & was placed on antibiotics, but she still continued her fight, making small noises & hand movements & opening her eyes at times.
On 19th May, Evie went back to theater as a scan revealed she had excess Fluid on her brain due to the damage, doctors put a temporary drain in to help, but none of this stopped Evie, she carried on her amazing fight & on 20th May she was awake watching DVD's in bed with mummy by her side, whilst doctors tried to find out what her infection was.
On 21st May, doctors said that Evie was doing so well that she could be move off Intensive Care & onto a Neuro Rehab Ward as she continued to recover.
On 24th May, Evie's NPA was taken away & she was breathing completely on her own, Evie has also been suffering a lot of panic attacks & anxiety after her ordeal which the doctors were also helping her deal with.
On 29th May, Evie had a shunt fitted to help drain the excess fluid from her brain, which I helped give her mummy some advice & support, with me also having 2 shunts myself. the operation was a success & after the operation once back on the ward with her mum, Evie moved her left foot for the first time!
On 31st May, Evie had physio, & she was in a seat position with full support but she had lot of fun kicking balloons & splashing her hands in water when asked & on 4th June, a wheelchair was sorted for Evie to help her get used to sitting up & she took her first walk with Mummy & she also enjoys visits from family & friends.
Evie is possibly the most amazing & strong-willed little girl that I have ever seen & I am so blessed that her mummy has allowed to me to follow her journey & write about it to help spread awareness... Evie still has a very long way to go, but she is strong & a belting little fighter. on Sunday 16th June, she got to leave the hospital for the day to spend Fathers Day with her daddy & her family, & it was such a lovely update to see the whole family together having a normal day!
Evie is currently awaiting on an MRI scan after suffering with a lot of neck pain, so we are all waiting to find out the outcome of this, but I think I speak for everyone when I say how PROUD we all are of Evie for coming as far as she has & being a true warrior.
If you would like to continue to follow Evie's journey, then please give her mummy Jodie a message here..
Thank you for taking the time to read this post & thank you to Jody for allowing me to write it.
We all love you Princess Evie! Xxxxx
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