Maeve Gleeson’s intractable epilepsy was so severe it was causing her to have clusters of up to 90 seizures per day.

At the worst point, her high doses of medication weren’t working and surgery to remove the part of the brain causing seizures wasn’t an option for Maeve. It was then that the four-year-old became the youngest person in Australia to undergo Vagal Nerve Stimulation. The device sends electrical ‘shocks’ to the vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve which runs down the neck connecting the brain to most of the organs.

Director of Neurology Associate Professor Andrew Kornberg says Maeve is much more awake and much more responsive. “This was her last resort and it seems to be working well.’’

Associate Prof Kornberg says the device doesn’t work for everyone and the RCH clinic’s targeted selection of three to five surgeries a year is providing better results.

Maeve’s mum Penny says her daughter can now make the most out of the different therapies available. “I only let myself take it one day at a time. If she was able to say a word, I’d be pretty happy. If Maeve was able to communicate through a device I’d
be really happy.”

Click here for a gallery of photos from The Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal on the Herald Sun website.