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Jessica's story began on June 25, 1996. Just weeks after her 2nd birthday, Jessica suffered a seizure - the entire left side of her body twitched as if she was receiving electric shocks. She was rushed by ambulance to the Charles Lemoyne Hospital where the doctors are able to determine that the seizure was caused by a brain hemorrhage. Once stabilized she was transferred to Sainte-Justine's Hospital for further tests. Dr. Mercier (neurosurgeon) determined that Jessica had a brain malformation but until the hemorrhage subsided he was not able to determine exactly what kind of malformation. For the time being she was prescribed Tegretol to control the seizures. Several weeks later and after many tests that included head CT scans, Electroencephalograms (EEG), Angiograms, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Dr. Mercier was able to ascertain that Jessica had an AVM, which stands for Arteriovenous Malformation. This is an abnormal communication between the arteries and veins in the brain. The AVM forms a 'tangle' of blood vessels that can be very harmful. The risks an AVM poses include:
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Jessica had the worst kind of malformation. There was no option - if the AVM was left untreated, her chances of survival decreased each year. The decision was made to surgically remove the AVM by performing a craniotomy. A risky option certainly as the surgery itself had an 80% chance of success. Dr. Mercier referred us to Notre-Dame Hospital to see Dr. Bojanowski who is a specialist in AVM`s. Dr. Bojanowski came to Sainte-Justine Hospital to operate on Jessica on November 7, 1996. He was very reassuring and confident about the chances for success during the surgery. He took the time to explain everything to my wife and I and made sure that we understood everything. He also made us feel that Jessica was in good hands. To everyone's relief, the operation was a complete success. After only 4 days in the post operative Intensive Care Unit Jessica was up and playing with toys in the hospital. On the fifth day after the surgery, she was released from the hospital. Even though the operation was a success, there is still the possibility that she will suffer more seizures. For one year after the surgery Jessica continued to take Tegretol to control these seizures. She never did suffer another seizure and has not suffered any side effects as a result of the operation.
Our daughter received the finest medical care from Sainte-Justine's Hospital. All of the doctors, nurses and hospital staff all contributed to Jessica`s successful operation and recovery. "We'll never forget the feeling of pure relief when we first saw Dr. Bojanowski's face after Jessica's operation. We knew from the look on his face that she was going to make it. We are indebted for life to the Sainte-Justine's for saving our daughter's life." In recognition of the hospital that saved our daughter's life, I have dedicated the annual curling tournament to raise funds for their foundation. In 1999 the tournament was renamed and the Kurling for Kids tournament was born. Over the years we have been able to raise over $725,000 which has gone directly to the Montreal Children's and Sainte Justine's Hospital Foundations.
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