Making History - Akron Children's Hospital

One in 26.
That’s the number of people who will be diagnosed with
epilepsy during their lifetime, according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
Almost three years ago, 12-year-old Jake
Gmerek of Massillon, Ohio, unexpectedly
became one of the “ones.” Wanting to be
defined by a different number, Jake chose
to undergo a procedure that was the first
of its kind at Akron Children’s Hospital:
epilepsy surgery. While it was an arduous
two-year journey for Jake and his family,
he never complained. Instead, he viewed
the experience as an opportunity to make
history… and to pave the way for other
children just like him.
A sudden diagnosis
On Oct. 19, 2010, Jake was sitting in class
when he started to feel “funny.” Concerned
that he was going to pass out, he stood up to
tell his teacher before collapsing and having
a seizure. When the school called Jake’s
mother, Kim Gmerek, she was in disbelief.
“I thought they called the wrong house,” said
Kim. “Nobody expects that call. We were in
shock – our perfectly healthy child just had a
seizure. It was unimaginable.”
Jake was transported to Akron Children’s
Hospital, where he underwent an MRI and
several other tests. After he was discharged,
Jake experienced several more seizures, as
well as auras, abnormal sensations – like
seeing colored lights or experiencing a
tingling sensation – that occur before a
seizure.
“My husband, Mike, and I kept thinking that it
could be a fluke, or there could be something
more serious happening,” said Kim. “We were
going from one extreme to another.”
The Gmereks took Jake to the specialists at
the hospital’s NeuroDevelopmental Science
Center. An abnormal MRI scan showed that
Jake had experienced an injury to the left
side of his brain early in life; doctors believed
he had suffered a stroke during Kim’s third
trimester. With this discovery, coupled with
his recent seizure activity, Jake was officially
diagnosed with epilepsy.
“Epilepsy is one of the most common types of
pediatric neurodevelopmental diseases,” said
Deborah Holder, MD, director of epilepsy and
clinical neurophysiology at Akron Children’s
Hospital. “It occurs when there are abnormal
electrical discharges in the brain. In Jake’s
case, the injured part of his brain triggered
the seizures. Since the injury happened so
early in his life, that part of the brain became
abnormal.”
At first, Jake received medications to help
control seizure symptoms. However, the
Gmereks were told that if he didn’t respond
well, he would be a perfect candidate for
brain surgery.
During the two years prior to his surgery for epilepsy, Jake developed close relationships with the doctors and staff at
the NeuroDevelopmental Science Center, including Dr. Patrick Brown, pictured here. “All of my doctors and nurses
made me feel really comfortable,” Jake said. “They became really special to me.”
18 CHILDREN’S PROGRESS | SPRING 2013