Young Woman Credits Life-Changing Surgery To ROSA Machine At Denver Health's Brooke Gordon Epilepsy Center
By Kerry O'Connor
DENVER (CBS4)- For years, nothing was helping control the seizures that were controlling Kaliyana's life.
"I was having a lot of seizures and we've tried many medicines."
Since her early teen years, she has lived with epilepsy, dealing with 20 to 70 seizures a day.
"For a parent to have to witness that, I stayed in bed with her, she couldn't do anything by herself. She couldn't use the bathroom, or eat, she was scared to eat," says her mother.
Kaliyana's debilitating condition was finally met with relief the day she was introduced to Dr. Chad Bush, an Epileptologist at Denver Health.
Using brand new technology called a ROSA Machine, Dr. Bush was able to pinpoint the part of Kaliyana's brain that was trigging non-stop seizures.
"Using this equipment, we're able to rule in the fact that we're in the right spot, we know exactly where her seizures are coming from," said Bush.
Kaliyana now has seizures two to five times a month. The hope is that this equipment and procedure could make patients live seizure free.
The ROSA Machine is considered state of the art, and Denver Health is one of the only facilities in the nation home to one. That is all thanks to a generous $1 million donation from Coloradan Brooke Gordon and her family.
"I had my own journey with epilepsy. I had epilepsy and I continue to take medication even though my seizures are under control," says Gordon, "This center is doing such cutting-edge surgeries and care that really I think they're one of the few, if not the only county hospital in the country providing this level of care to people of all income ranges."
Denver Health's "Brooke Gordon Epilepsy Center" hopes to treat many patients and relieve their epilepsy in the same way they were able to treat Kaliyana, who is now able to work a full-time job as an assistant preschool teacher.
"Since I've has this treatment it pretty much started working immediately," Kaliyana has nothing but gratitude for Gordon and Dr. Bush, "Thank you, thank you so much, honestly."