A tot diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy is to undergo life-saving surgery to detach part of her brain.
Little Thea Steele suffered her first seizure just hours after being born and was rushed into intensive care where tests revealed a condition called infantile spasms that can cause catastrophic brain damage if left untreated.
“The left side of her brain is abnormal, and we need to address the condition now before she gets any older, but still the thought of handing over my baby for such invasive surgery is horrible. Thea is under the care of medics at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, where she will undergo the complex procedure.
She added: “Thea spent the first nine days of her life in intensive care and doctors were initially puzzled as to what was causing her fits. “The condition causes horrendous damage to the brain. We were lucky it was spotted quickly as if it had been left any longer, Thea would have experienced catastrophic brain damage.