Eye On Health

Aledo Girl Prepares For Life-Changing Surgery

BALTIMORE (CBS News) ― Six-year-old Jessie Hall is preparing for a life-changing surgery. On Wednesday, surgeons will remove half of her brain.

From the moment they met, Jessie and Dr. Ben Carson had an instant connection. The world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon will cut off the diseased right sign of Jessie's brain.

Much of the time, she looks like a normal child. But Jessie has Rasmussen's encephalitis, a rare neurological disease.

"She could have a seizure at any time," said Cris Hall, Jessie's father.

Without the surgery, the disease would continue to eat away at Jessie's brain and eventually cause her body to shut down. So Cris and Kristi Hall made the heart-wrenching decision to travel all the way from Texas to Baltimore for the surgery they hope will enable Jessie lead a healthy, normal life.

"What they expect as soon as she wakes up from surgery, is that the left side of her body will be completely limp. The first thing they want to do is get her walking. It'll take weeks, and with braces hopefully we will get her walking again without crutches," said Cris.

Since learning their little girl had the disease, the Halls have been able to move forward thanks to unwavering support from their family, friends and entire town.

Jessie is an inspiration for her parents.

"She doesn't let anything stop her, so that's very encouraging for us," said Kristi Hall.

The surgery begins at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. Jessie is expected to be in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit from June 11-14. She will be in a regular room at Johns Hopkins Children's Center from June 14-21. She is then expected to be transferred to Kennedy Krieger Institute for extensive in-patient rehabilitation. 

 Click here to read Jessie's Blog.

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