Brain Surgery: A Daughter's Fight for Recovery

Moments before little Indy Glover turned five in the summer of 2023, she experienced a severe seizure that made it seem like she had stopped breathing and her skin turned blue.

Her frantic parents were forced to administer CPRten minutes to maintain her life while an ambulance was en route to the location.

“It appeared out of nowhere,” says her mother, Hayley Davies. “Before that, she had always been in good health. I had picked her up from”schoolIt had been an extremely hot day, and I could sense something was off with her before anything happened. What occurred completely turned our entire world upside down.

Luckily, Indy made it through that terrifying experience – but it turned out to be only the beginning of a series of traumatic events that eventually resulted in her undergoing a seven-hour operation to remove a portion of her brain.

As the following months passed, the family, residing in Whitstable, Kent, observed an increase in the frequency of seizures, although the symptoms became less intense. At her worst, she experienced over 50 seizures daily – remarkably capable of informing her parents, Hayley and Paul, when a seizure was about to occur.

Hayley states: "She would say, 'Mum, one is coming.' It occurred constantly, both during the day and at night. And as soon as it was over, she'd say 'it's gone.'"

At first, medical staff at the QEQM Hospital in Margate thought it wasepilepsyand began to address the symptoms.

Her most extended seizures lasted an hour and a half, but none of the medications they administered to halt them were effective,' says Hayley. 'Afterward, she would experience what is referred to as a 'honeymoon phase,' during which she would be free from seizures for a day or two—then they would return.

She ended up taking five different medications for epilepsy, three times daily. The heavy load of medication left her with virtually no quality of life.

She spent most days in a near-comatose state on the couch or in a hospital bed. She lacked any energy—she was merely a shadow of her former self.

The stress for her parents was overwhelming. Her mother states, "Since she was experiencing seizures throughout the day and night, there was no chance to rest. We also had her younger brother, who was just two years old and hadn't started nursery yet. I can't remember how many times we called for an ambulance. It was non-stop."

Hayley had to cease working with her jewelry design business in order to dedicate herself completely to her daughter. Eventually, after 'fighting hard,' Hayley was able to have her daughter referred to specialists inLondon.

The team at Evelina London Children’s Healthcare took responsibility for her case. Collaborating with specialists from Great Ormond Street Hospital and King’s College Hospital, her parents maintained detailed documentation of the seizures, while medical equipment was connected to Indy to collect information about what was occurring.

In the end, a scan showed a minor swelling on one side of her brain. The challenge was that specialists couldn't determine what they were dealing with without a biopsy — which meant the only course of action was brain surgery, and they wouldn't know the true nature of the issue until the operation was underway.

They concluded that the most effective approach would involve removing her left temporal lobe—a significant portion of the brain they thought was responsible for the seizures. However, this procedure carried possible risks, including effects on her vision, movement, memory, and future learning capacity. The specialists also needed to consider whether the advantages would be greater than the dangers.

“That was likely my most frightening moment because it was very clear that if she couldn't undergo surgery, there would be no other options available,” recalls Hayley. “None of the medications were effective. Every time she had a seizure—particularly the longer ones—it was causing harm to her brain. I understood she couldn't continue like this.”

Ultimately, in January, six months following the initial seizure, the medical team decided she could be added to the waiting list for the surgery. It wasn't until the subsequent February that she was able to undergo the procedure.

For seven intense hours, her parents remained anxious as doctors removed nearly a quarter of her brain. In addition to taking out the left temporal lobe, they also removed the hippocampus – a section of the brain responsible for memory.

Hayley said, "When they entered, the surgeon informed us there was extensive scarring, so they ended up removing more than they had initially planned. They took out all the scarred areas that appeared to be safe."

But there was one last harsh surprise. Not long after she regained consciousness from the operation, she experienced two more seizures. These, however, would be her final ones.Doctorshad anticipated it as a consequence of that procedure, and two years on, she hasn't experienced one since.

Indy's coordination and temporary memory were affected during the following months, and it took a full year to gradually stop the strong medications she was taking to manage her seizures prior to the surgery. As a result, she missed an entire year of school.

Hayley is now assisting other children and parents facing similar situations through her new venture, MyRealFairies, which offers fairy 'companion kits'. The concept originated from the magical messages she used to soothe her daughter while she was in the hospital.

For every purchase made, a care fairy box will be given to a child at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital or Great Ormond Street Hospital – which played a crucial part in Indy's recovery.

Today, Indy, who is seven years old, has surprisingly recovered completely.

Hayley states, "The operation itself was a miracle, but it was completely successful; it cured her. She experienced thousands of seizures prior to the surgery, and it's a miracle that it didn't result in any lasting brain damage."

She is truly the most amazing child – lovely both inside and out.

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