A friend suggested that I include a bit more information about Chris’s cavernoma – the “what, why and how” – so please read on if you wish.

A cavernoma is a collection of abnormal blood vessels through which bloods flows slowly. Most commonly found in the brain, cavernomas grow over time and may cause epilepsy, brain haemorrhage and progressive disability.

Chris’s cavernoma was diagnosed in 2016, although it can be seen on MRI scans from 2013 (when Chris started to have seizures). The cavernoma is located in an “eloquent” area of the brain, in the frontal lobe - the area which controls emotion, personality and impulse control, and is located on the “motor strip.” Because of this, Chris struggles with anger management, aggression and self-control, which affects his social and family life.

Chris has experienced two recent haemorrhages – in March and April. Following the haemorrhage in April, Chris experienced stroke-like symptoms, including loss of function on his right side (face, hand, arm and leg), which affected his speech and ability to do tasks like tie his shoes and button clothes. Chris has remained incredibly positive and has regained his ability to manage everyday functions, although his speech is still slurred.

The best prognosis for Chris is to have the cavernoma surgically removed – to prevent more haemorrhages and to remove the pressure on his frontal lobe (the cavernoma has grown 1.5 cm in the past year). While the surgery is risky in terms of potential damage to the “motor strip,” it is urgent to prevent future loss of function. Chris has been a patient at South African government hospitals since birth and has received excellent care, but there are simply too many patients and too few specialists and resources in the state system. The likelihood is that he would receive an operation in 2019 (or later)…. A neurosurgeon at the hospital where Chris recently spent two weeks agreed that the best way to expedite treatment for Chris is to explore options within the private sector.

The operation to remove the cavernoma is possible using “awake brain” surgery with brain mapping: during the operation, the patient is woken from the anaesthetic and asked to talk and perform tasks such as counting and moving different areas of the body. The motor strip is mapped and marked by a neurophysiologist in this way before the cavernoma is removed, so that extreme care may be taken to avoid damage to the motor strip.

We have arranged the surgery to be done by Dr Malan Roux who is experienced in “awake brain” surgery. Following a successful removal of the cavernoma, the threat of bleeding and damage to Chris’s frontal lobe will be removed, along with the pressure on this sensitive area – Chris may regain “himself” and his seizures may taper off or stop.

Having weighed all the possibilities, we have taken a leap of faith and scheduled the surgery, confident that we will be able to raise the funds needed to bring this miracle into Chris’s life. Please join us in this “miracle-in-the-making.”