A teenage boy with epilepsy who has become the first child in the UK to have a device fitted into his brain has seen a huge reduction in life-threatening seizures . Oran Knowlson, now 13, had a neurostimulator fitted into his brain last October and has since had an 80 per cent reduction in the number of seizures he has each day. The device is mounted onto his skull and attached to electrodes that are inserted deep inside his brain in the first UK trial of its kind.
Prior to the surgery, Oran had been experiencing seizures every day since his third birthday which often led to him needing life-saving resuscitation. As a result, he needs around-the-clock care and is at increased risk of sudden unexpected death. Have you been affected by this? Email rebecca.
[email protected] Oran’s mother Justine said: “Before the seizures began Oran was hitting all his milestones but as seizures became more severe, we lost more and more of Oran.
From being a happy, energetic three-year-old, he struggled to engage in the world due to his medication and seizures – but he has still got his sense of humour. “We’ve tried everything, but this is the first real shot we’ve been given in years, there has been no ‘what next’ until now. Unless somebody takes the first step on a trial like this, there is never going to be a better and there has to be a better for our family.
” Eight months on from having the device fitted his seizures have dramatically reduced in their frequency and .
