Valley Children's helps teen battle Sturge-Weber Syndrome

MADERA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Imagine having a child who has seizures on a weekly basis![br /][br /]And medication is not controlling them![br /][Ads /][br /]The NeuroScience team at Valley Children's Hospital found a solution.[br /][br /]Sariah Moreno is eager to show off her fruit and vegetable garden.[br /][br /]Outdoor time wasn't always possible for this 14-year-old; she spent most of her life living with seizures.[br /][br /]"I didn't like having them, every time I feel them, I panicked," said Moreno.[br /][br /]Sariah was born with Sturge-Weber Syndrome.[br /][br /]"Her seizures were like having a baby 24/7," said Sariah's mother, Barbi.[br /][br /]"She would have a seizure one a day, sometimes two or three a day and they would just drag her down," said Sariah's father, Albert.[br /]and she would be out for the whole week]][br /][br /]Dr. Cesar Santos is the medical director of pediatric neurology at Valley Children's Hospital. After special testing, he found she was a good candidate for surgery.[br /][br /]"I told mom, all of Sariah's seizures are coming from the right side of the brain," said Dr. Santos. "So it's causing the seizure number one, number two it's actually affecting the function of the normal left side."[br /][br /]The Moreno Family had a tough decision to make.[br /][Ads /][br /]"Out of every organ I think we think about surgery, like the brain is something your not supposed to mess with," said Barbi.[br /][br /]Valley Children's is the only hospital in Central California with a level 4 epilepsy center.[br /][br /]A team of medical experts prepared Sariah and her family for the life-changing surgery known as a hemispherectomy. A rare procedure in which half the brain is removed.[br /][br /]On November 2nd, 2018, Valley Children's neurosurgeons Dr. Patricia Klerkin and Dr. Julia Sharma removed the area of the brain that was triggering Sariah's seizures.[br /][br /]"What we did is take out most of the right side of the brain so that is gone and then what is left is not connected to your body," said Dr. Santos.[br /][br /]Sariah was home in a week and the results? Amazing.[br /][br /]"They took away my seizures now I don't have them," said Sariah.[br /][br /]The 14-year-old has been seizure-free for over eight months since the surgery.[br /][br /]"She was more vocal, more energy. She used words that we didn't know she was capable of using," said Sariah's mom.[br /][br /]Sariah's language development, memory, and reasoning have drastically improved[br /][br /]The family is getting rest.[br /][Ads /][br /]"After her surgery, we heard her snore, and we had never heard her snore. She's never snored," said Barbi.[br /][br /]And making plans.[br /][br /]"Not only are we able to go places, but me and dad are also actually able to go back out on dates and do things too," said Sariah's mom.[br /][br /]And they couldn't be more grateful for the expert care at Valley Children's.[br /][br /]Sariah is getting ready to start high school![br /][br /]Dr. Santos says 13,000 children in the Valley have epilepsy.[br /][br /]Valley Children's has the only pediatric epilepsy center between southern and northern California.[br /][br /]You can help Valley Children's continue this specialized care.[br /][br /][url HREF="https://abc30.com/community-events/futures-worth-fighting-for-telethon/3789008/" TARGET="" REL=""]Make a donation by calling 1-877-353-0000 or text the word "GEORGE to 20222.[/url][br /][br /]ABC30 and the Disney Team of Heroes will match every dollar donated up to one hundred thousand dollars!