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Apr 4, 2008 9:05 pm US/Central
Young Aledo Girl Battling Rare Brain Disease
ALEDO (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
A North Texas girl with a rare disease is preparing for a surgery that will remove half of her brain. But first, Jessie Hall is taking a vacation thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Hall is an active little girl. Her mother, Kristi Hall, said, "She loves to dance. She's athletic. She loves to play basketball and t-ball."
When her world started standing still, her parents were sure that something was wrong. "She started staring off into space, and we couldn't get her attention," explained her father, Cris Hall. "She was like, in another world."
After several seizures, Hall's parents thought she had epilepsy. But after countless tests and hospital trips, it was determined that the young girl had Rasmussen's Encephalitis. Cris said, "It basically eats away at one half of your brain."
The disease has already taken away the function of Hall's constantly twitching left hand, and unfortunately, she will get worse. "Functions necessary for the body to survive will start shutting down," Cris said, "and she will eventually pass away."
Kristi added, "No kids should have to go through stuff like this."
That is why Hall's parents made the painful decision for her to have radical surgery that will remove half of her brain. "What they expect, as soon as she wakes up from surgery," Cris started to explain, "is that the left side of her body will be completely limp. It won't work. Nothing will work."
The young Aledo girl said that she has always wanted to dance with Cinderella, and that is exactly what she will do on Monday. She and her family are taking a week-long trip to DisneyWorld in Orlando.
It is unlikely that Hall will be so active again, but her parents hope that, eventually, she will be able to walk with braces and play with her three brothers again.
According to the young girl's parents, the surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore should not affect her memory or cognitive skills.
Her parents said, "I hope it goes down in history as she's the most rehabilitated of any Rasmussen's patient ever."
A special fund has been set up for Jessie Hall. Contributions can be made to:
Unity One Federal Credit Union
6701 Burlington Blvd.
Fort Worth, TX 76131
817-306-3100
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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