Brain Injury

A faded piece of paper taped to her bathroom mirror lists the things that 20-year-old Amy Dykes needs to do each morning: take her medicine, brush her hair, wash her face, brush her teeth, apply her makeup. Today that piece of paper is seldom used, but just two years ago, it was a map that helped guide Amy through each morning.

Most 18-year-old girls love to talk. Maggie Piet is no exception. She just uses modern technology to do so.

As 6-year-old Cameron Mott sings and dances her way around her family's North Carolina living room, it's obvious she has some serious star power. But things weren't always this way. At age three she started having seizures and was diagnosed with cortical dysplasia, an abnormality in the development of the cerebral cortex.

"She was having six to 10 seizures a day," says her dad, Casey. The seizures robbed Cameron's family of their little girl. Every morning she was clear and bright, but then the first seizure would hit. Cameron would lose consciousness and fall to the floor.

You're waiting at the airport for your best friend to arrive. It's been several years since you last saw each other. A figure emerges from the throng of travelers, and as he walks quickly toward you, you recognize your friend right away by his long, loping stride. The way he walks, or his gait, is a very complex characteristic that, like a fingerprint, is unique to every person.

If you've ever doubted how quickly your life can be turned upside down, just ask the Bahen family. On Monday, Nov. 14, 2000, the Bahens' 5-year-old daughter Nicole joined her friends for her usual afternoon dance class. By Sunday Nov. 20, Nicole lay in intensive care recovering from surgery, unable to speak, roll over or swallow, nearly paralyzed on her right side. Such is the swift devastation of a pediatric brain tumor.

Since the late Dr. Andreas Rett first identified the syndrome that bears his name more than 50 years ago, doctors have learned to treat the seizures, reflux and other symptoms of the disorder but they have not yet learned to alleviate the neurological impairment it causes. Researchers at Kennedy Krieger will begin a new drug trial this summer that represents an important step toward achieving that goal.

Riding a bicycle comes as second nature to most 15-year-old boys. But for Richie Jacob, it was a major milestone. Three months earlier, Richie couldn't walk. He could barely talk. Doctors gave him a 50 percent chance of survival.

For years, people who suffered spinal cord injuries were told that the first six months of their recovery would paint an accurate picture of how they would live the rest of their lives. If a patient recovered any movement, it would probably be in those first few months and, nearly all experts believed, improvement after two years was impossible.

For the Frost family, the first miracle happened when their family survived a horrific car crash that could easily have ended in tragedy.

Baltimore, MD-Today, Kennedy Krieger Institute's brain injury program celebrates 30 years of advancing research and patient care. The program, one of the nation's leading brain injury rehabilitation programs, is known for its pioneering "continuum of care" model that provides for coordinated care across the inpatient, day-hospital, home and community settings and emphasizes re-integration of children into their home, school, and community.