Surgery date: March 2013

Mrs Tiziana tells her four-year-old son Samuele’s story. It all started one morning when Samuele ha a fever and an episode of strong vertigo. The vertigo had appeared already three times before, so the worried parents decided to take him to hospital, where he was admitted for further testing.

A brain MRI showed that the child suffers from Arnold Chiari Syndrome. The parents were not ready to receive this diagnosis; they did not know anything about the condition. They were directed towards Rome for a decompression surgery; they did not accept this hypothesis, as it is a very complex procedure with many counter indications for such a young child.

They continue to search until finding Dr Royo. They decide to travel to Barcelona to the Institut Chiari, where during a consultation it is confirmed that Samuele does not only have Arnold Chiari with a descent of the cerebellar tonsils, bit also scoliosis and the Sectioning of the Filum terminale surgery is recommended for him.

Samuele undergoes surgery in March 2013. The mother explains how Samuele said he was feeling well after waking up and that he was jumping around like and playing a normal child only a few hours after surgery. Back home, Mrs Tiziana notices that the boy is different, and he also says so himself: before he used to incline the head whilst writing, he had a stiff neck, Little strength and he tired out from walking. Now he is playing football, he has grown a lot, he has put on weight, he goes about his life normally, he is a different child.

Mrs Tiziana recommends the surgery to everyone in order to stop the progress of the condition and to allow the children to be well. She very generously makes her telephone number available to anyone who would like to contact her: +39 334 729 4115.