School Rallies Around Child with Seizures

Faith Galloway is a student at Jasper County Primary School and she recently had a third brain surgery to stop her seizures. Our school wore purple for epilepsy awareness and I would LOVE if you could share Faith’s story! It is so inspiring.

Faith Galloway and her identical twin sister Grace Galloway were born at 29 weeks gestation. Faith weighed just one pound, 12 ounces, and was given a slim chance of surviving at birth.

Being the fighter that she is she was released from the hospital after three months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

At 10 months old she began having seizures in the form of infantile spasms. She would have upwards of 40-50 clusters a day totally 300-400 spasms. Faith went down hill fast. At 13 months old, after several treatments it was determined that Faith’s form of epilepsy was untreatable and doctors gave her a maximum of five years to live.

At 18 months old it was decided Faith would have a functional hemispherectomy to disconnect the right seizing side of the brain from the left side. She was the youngest and smallest child the surgeon had ever preformed surgery on.

The surgery was a success until 10 months later at two and a half years old when Faith started having seizures again.

Being monitored, tested, and visiting with a variety of doctors Faith continued having seizures. They found three places where the first disconnects were missed and where seizure activity was transferring from the bad part of her brain to the good part of her brain.

In March 2017 at five years old Faith had a second brain surgery. This time it was an experimental laser ablation surgery. The goal was to use the minimally invasive laser to singe the connected brain tissue. This surgery was not a success and she began having seizures the same day as her surgery.

Faith underwent a modified anatomical hemispherectomy last Wednesday where they were to disconnect some brain tissue and then remove the rest of the bad brain tissue.

“Our surgeon is confident in her ability to be seizure free. We are confident that out God has brought us here for this very reason,” said her mother.

“Faith was God’s baby from the start and tomorrow we pray for success so she can declare the goodness of God’s promises and miracles.”

Surgery went great and she is still in Cleveland, Ohio being monitored.

Faith is the daughter of Jacel Galloway and Chad Galloway of Jasper County.

The teachers at the school dressed in purple to show support for Faith, #wearpurpleforfaith. They are pictured with Faith’s sister, Grace.