12/22/2016
Just weeks before Christmas two sisters
who already faced their worst nightmare,
the passing of their middle-aged mother,
were confronted with another gloomy
situation. The older of the two, at only 32
years old, was diagnosed with Cerebral
Arterial Venous Malformation after
having a series of out-of-the-blue
seizures and undergoing extensive
testing.
It's been an uphill battle since the first
seizure occurred just shy of a month ago,
up until yesterday when surgery took
place at New York Presbyterian Hospital
in Manhattan, New York. Twenty-four
hours ago, the thirty-two year old was
undergoing brain surgery which was six
hours in duration. The younger of the
two, a registered nurse, who is usually
adorned with big smile, was frozen with
fear and worry. On the other hand, she
always remained optimistic and found
hope in knowing her big sister was in
good hands. Actually, in great hands.
Now as her feet touched the ground and
she saw that beautiful smile, she knew the
worst was behind them. When questioned
about the experience, she reported, "I
can't sing high enough praises about New
York Presbyterian's neurosurgeons, Dr.
Stieg, Dr. Knopman, and the entire neuro
team."
Dr. Knopman's final remarks today was a
motivating realization for his patient. He
uttered, "Do you realize this is the first
day of your life you do not have an AVM
inside your brain?" With that the sisters
shed some tears of joy and sighed in
relief. When asked for final words, the
younger sister said, "My sister, my world,
my warrior... I love you."
Thank you again to Dr. Steig, Dr.
Knopman, and the entire NY Presbyterian
Neurology team assisting with yesterday's
case of Cerebral AVM. Two lives saved
and a family reunited just in time for the
holidays. These sisters have new
blessings to be thankful for this holiday
season and it’s thanks to U.
