I had part of my brain removed - and it inspired me to become a nurse!

When Leona McKee went into a coma following a series of epileptic fits, brain surgery was her only option. Now on the mend, she’s helping others…

Looking after her patients during a hospital work placement, trainee nurse Leona McKee relates more than most to those under her care. Just three years ago, 26-year-old Leona had a walnut-sized part of her brain removed after nearly dying following a series of epileptic fits that left her in a coma.
It was during her recovery from the potentially fatal operation that Leona felt inspired to help others.
Leona, from Swindon, says, "I felt so incredibly lucky to be given this chance of a new life. I was determined to do something special."
Leona wasn’t officially diagnosed with epilepsy until she had her first ‘grand mal’ seizure – one of the worst fits an epileptic can have – shortly after turning 18.
She recalls, "I’d got up one morning and immediately had a massive, full-on fit. My
eyes rolled back into my head, my body started convulsing on the floor, and apparently I made a terrible animal-like noise. It lasted nearly 10 minutes."
Mum and dad, Kathy, 45, and Tom, 46, immediately dialled 999 and Leona was rushed to hospital. She was allowed to go home, but later that night she had another massive fit.
This time, Leona was kept in hospital for a week and put on medication to prevent further fits. There, she discovered that epileptic seizures are caused by disrupted brain activity, and that there are many different types of seizures, from being ‘a bit spaced out’ to having convulsions.
She says, "I realised then that I’d been having very minor fits and “absences” – when you zone out for a while – for years. I’d often be chatting away to someone when I’d totally forget what I’d been saying.
"It also looked like I’d been having partial seizures during my sleep, because my sister, Alana, who I shared a room with, said I’d often make funny noises during the night and I’d wake up with cuts on my lips."

Constant seizures

Back home, she stayed on medication. For a few months Leona was fine, but then the fits started up again, leaving her exhausted and bedridden for days while her body recovered.
"My stomach always hurt afterwards and the doctors explained that was because having a fit was like doing a million sit-ups!"
Leona was referred to a specialist at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, but being prescribed new medication didn’t help.
 Leona, who was working as a customer service adviser for a financial company, says, "My life was turned well and truly upside down. I split up with my boyfriend, who I’d been with since I was 13, and my mum and dad were so worried about me they put a baby monitor next to my bed so they could hear if I had a seizure.
"But what really broke my heart was how scared my little sister had become of me
after seeing me fitting."
Leona’s epilepsy became so severe she was having two to three fits a week.
"Sometimes I’d come round and not even know who I was," Leona recalls.
Her weight dropped to six stone and she became ‘paranoid and depressed’.
By 21, Leona was having so many fits at work that she had to go on indefinite sick leave. She hardly ventured outside in case she had a seizure.
Then, in August 2009, she had another grand mal seizure, which lasted 20 minutes. The ambulance was called, but she had two more fits, and by the time Leona reached the hospital she had slipped into a coma.
Frantic medics managed to resuscitate her, and she was put into a medically-induced coma and hooked up to a life support machine. The next day she was brought out of the coma and was kept in hospital for a week, during which time she had more minor seizures.
It was at this point doctors recommended brain surgery.
"Just the words “brain surgery” had me recoiling in horror," remembers Leona.
Over the next year she had tests to check her suitability for surgery, as well as an intracranial probe – when wires are placed in the brain to locate the area where the seizures start.
"At the time I don’t know what I was most freaked out about," Leona says, "The fact I
was going to have my skull cut open and probes put in my brain – or all my hair cut off!
"When I came round the surgeon was waving a see-through bag of my long, dyed-blonde hair, saying they’d saved it for me."
For the next seven weeks, specialists monitored Leona’s brain activity until they were able to pinpoint the exact spot where her fits were coming from.
"The wires hurt and I had a constant headache, but I knew it had to be done. Later, they had to be removed because I developed an infection and brain fluid had started seeping from my skull," Leona recalls.
When the infection cleared up, Leona was finally able to have her brain surgery in February 2011. It took about three hours, during which time surgeons cut out a walnut-sized piece of her brain.
"They had to be very careful, because if they’d cut too much or too deep it could have permanently affected my speech, or worse still, left me with brain damage."
Leona adds, "When I woke up I felt an immediate sense of relief. I’d survived."

Scarring after surgery and the intracranial probe

Leona was kept sedated for the next few weeks, but as soon as she was allowed home, she could feel the difference. "It was incredible just how much it changed my life. I started to feel so happy and inspired. And I actually wanted to go outdoors.
"But one of the best things was that my little sister stopped being afraid of me. Although
it took mum and dad a while to stop checking on me during the night. One time we all howled with laughter when they came rushing into my bedroom after hearing an animal-like whining noise – only to discover it was our dog wanting to be let out."

Second chance

Leona went on to set up the Swindon Epilepsy Support Group to help others
with the condition. She also applied to study for a nursing degree. But just before she was due to start her three-year course, doctors discovered Leona was suffering from memory problems caused by the brain surgery.
Still determined, Leona enrolled on a pre-nursing diploma to see if she could cope with the course work. And she did. Last year she moved to Southampton where she’s now in her second year of her nursing degree at the city’s university.
"I love it," Leona says. "My dream is to become a specialist epilepsy nurse. I’ve already applied to several places after I finish my degree. Until then, I’m hoping to work on a neurology ward for experience."
And, as for her long blonde hair, Leona says, "I still have the bag of hair in the loft. It’s a reminder of my former life – and how lucky I’ve been to have this chance."

There is always a second chance for us of us no matter what we r passing through.

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