After Moyamoya surgery, a back-to-normal birthday for Carolyn

Before Moyamoya surgery Carolyn Milks turns 8 on August 21. It’s a big celebration. Carolyn and her family aren’t just celebrating her birthday — they’re celebrating Carolyn’s return to normal. For most of the summer, things like swimming, riding her bicycle and horsing around with her sisters and cousins had been out of the question for Carolyn. But on August 11, Dr. Ed Smith, co-director of the Boston Children’s Hospital Cerebrovascular Surgery and Interventions Center, gave Carolyn the green light. She could go back to being a kid. “This is what kids really want. They just want to be normal and do their normal activities,” says Carolyn’s mother Kristen. It had been a topsy-turvy spring for the Milks family. My heart and mind froze. Her whole left side was weak. … Only one part of the body controls both the arm and the leg. I thought, ‘Carolyn has something wrong with her brain.’ Carolyn, normally a bright, active second grader, started having puzzling symptoms in March. “She was having a hard time concentrating on her homework and was crying, and my husband and I couldn’t figure out why,” recalls Kristen. Over the next few days Kristen, an occupational therapist, began observing strange movements in her daughter’s left arm and hand. Carolyn appeared to struggle with everyday activities like holding a pencil, tying her shoes, and she even tried to switch her hand dominance. Kristen set up her p...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Boston Children's at Waltham Cerebrovascular Surgery and Interventions Center Dr. Ed Smith moyamoya Source Type: news