Brain Surgery
2023 creative writing contest submission
Isbael Hanlon-De Oliveria, 11th grade

I’m going to tell you a story about when I had brain surgery. No, it may not be as interesting for you as it was for me, but it’s a journey. Around October 31st, which was Halloween, i wasn’t feeling well and i knew this was not just a cold. I went to the hospital the next day and they ran some tests, but said it was the flu. My grandma knew it was much more, but we left and went home. The next day I went to my mother’s house and i was still not feeling well.  The same evening, I was burning up and couldn’t sleep. A few hours later i went to the bathroom and next thing i know i was throwing up nonstop. I came out of the bathroom and my mother gave me some medicine but i threw it up less than 15 minutes later. We called my grandma, and she told my mother to take me to the doctor, but my mother wouldn’t. A couple hours later my eye started to slowly swell. The next day i went home and my eye got worse. My grandma knew something was wrong and took me to the hospital. They ran some tests and admitted me.

            The day i got admitted into Kennestone, my eye couldn’t even open i was very scared. The hospital gives me bad memories and usually reminds me of people dying. Another girl i seen was being taken away because she was suicidal and that made things even more despondent. Soon they were putting needles in my arm and i was just staring at the blood go into the tube. Long ago i was so afraid of blood but it was quite satisfying to watch the needle take it. Later they put me on medications and soon i was laying on a bed. A few days later i was still having needles in me every hour and doctors watching my every move. The doctors came and told us that i had a brain infection. This was not the news i wanted to hear. I was hoping to go home soon, but that didn’t happen.

            In the next few weeks, the beginning of November had come. I had so many needles and medications in me that was I was so used to it. I was homesick honestly, the next day they surprised me and took me to get a CT scan. Little did i know i was in for a surgery. After the scan, they took me in a room full of doctors with masks on and told me to remove my clothes. I did as i was told and they put a mask on me as i fell asleep. When i woke up, my mother and grandma were right next to me, and staples were in my head. The doctors told my parents that i was lucky to survive such a risky surgery. I was astonished that i had survived something with so many chances for things to go wrong. Over the next few days, the doctors treated me as if i was “fragile”. There were times that I was weak, there were times I had headaches that felt worse than usual. The doctors did Ct scans or MRI’s almost every 4 days just to make sure nothing was still there.  A few days later they moved me to Childrens healthcare of Atlanta because I was only sixteen at the time. The doctors were very kind at CHOA, they were very sweet and made sure i was in a good mood for the time I was there. They put me in several different therapy’s such as speech, physical, and occupational. This wasn’t an exciting thing to have several meetings, but I knew it had to be done. Sometimes a dog would come in just to make the kids smile, and I must say it worked for me. My grandma visited me almost every day which made me very glad to know that someone still cared. My mom didn’t come much so that made me a bit upset, but I knew things weren’t great for her, so I enjoyed the few times she did come. I missed home so much but I knew my stay wasn’t permeant. A few days before November ended, A doctor came in to remove the staples in my head. I was terrified, I didn’t want to go through any more pain. They told me it would be a few pinches, but I had staples from behind my ear, to the middle of my head. I agreed, and they began to remove them. The first few hurt but soon it was okay.

            About 4 days into December, they came in to tell me and my grandma i could be released in a few days. I was so happy, but a bit upset that i was leaving. I started to like the doctors, they made me smile and gave me hope. I was so happy to go home. Around the 8th, I went home and had a bowl of cereal. Things were odd the first few days, i still got headaches but they went away. I still have a scar on my head but its ok. Not many people know about this but i think this was a journey that i enjoyed. Not many people know the things I’ve been through, and this is just one i wanted to share.