Neuroscience Center Patient Stories

Natalie could walk, talk, and was ahead of all milestones for her age. Then, when she was 18 months old, her parents, Nicole and Patrick, noticed her lifting her big toes off the ground when she walked, as though she had a splinter or cut on the bottom of her foot.

Read about Brandon's journey from dangerously uncontrollable seizures to seizure-freedom for the past 10 years.

For Eileen and Brenden, March 14, 2020, is not only memorable because it was the day the United States declared a National Emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak. It was also the day their son, Patrick, suffered a concussion that led to a potentially life-changing diagnosis.

Selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery followed by intensive physical and occupational therapy enabled Nadia to walk without an assistive device for the first time at age 6.

Call it a mother’s intuition. Though Killian appeared to be growing and developing normally during prenatal appointments, Jennifer couldn’t stop worrying something was wrong.

Holden and his brother, Elliott, share more than a love for cars and trucks. They also both have the same rare genetic neurologic disorder, known as MECP2 duplication syndrome.

There was no “book” Ellen could refer to for medical guidance on her son, Evan, who has a rare genetic mutation.

Devon underwent surgery, chemotherapy and proton therapy for a brain tumor the size of a softball. Within months, she started college and made the Dean’s List.  

Sara lived with seizures until age 9. Her family flew 7,000 miles from United Arab Emirates so she could undergo epilepsy surgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Every day since, Sara has told her mom how happy she is to have had the procedure.