The story of DeAnna
Sept. 13, 2021. Before that day, DeAnna was a perfectly healthy 17-year-old girl. But on that fateful morning, DeAnna suddenly lost consciousness and suffered a stroke. When she arrived at the Children’s Wisconsin Emergency Department, there were more than 20 nurses and doctors waiting to care for her. One of those doctors was Dr. Lew, a pediatric neurosurgeon, who told DeAnna’s mom that her daughter needed emergency brain surgery. That was the first of 13 brain surgeries DeAnna would undergo in the 16 months that have followed.
DeAnna was diagnosed with fusobacterium sinusitis, a rare and serious brain disease. As a result, she’s been through numerous health complications and has had to relearn how to eat, speak and walk. But DeAnna is a warrior and is determined to beat the odds. With the help of her neuro and rehab teams, she continues to make amazing progress.
During the duration of this traumatic ordeal DeAnna remained dedicated to her studies and graduated on time with her, high school class of 2022. She is currently, looking forward to enrolling in college and beginning her first college course and many more accomplishments to come.
As a mother, I couldn’t imagine fighting this disease and receiving care from any other medical team. Children’s Wisconsin has made this traumatic experience so much easier on DeAnna and myself. The care and support my child and I have received has been nothing short of AMAZING!