A teenager who spent three years living with seizures has undergone brain surgery while awake and talking. Izaac Roberts has suffered terrible symptoms due to a brain tumour.
At the start of the year, the 18-year-old became the youngest patient ever to be awake during a craniotomy at Royal Stoke Hospital. It was hoped the surgery would end his symptoms - which included loss of speech and numbness down one side of his body - and save his life.
But two hours into the surgery, Izaac began suffering from a seizure. It left neurosurgeon Dr Chan with a decision on whether to continue with the high-risk brain surgery, according to The Mirror.
During the surgery, which was carried out through a hole drilled into Izaac's skull, Dr Chan scraped away parts of the tumour. Izaac was awake the whole time and made to read out key words from a list provided by a neuropsychiatrist. This was so the surgery team could map out dangerous areas and avoid them, or risk impairing Izaac's speech permanently.
But part way through the surgery, Izaac began having a seizure.
"I felt very alert. I remember the psychiatrist in front of me and the surgeons behind me. I couldn't relax, it was a very intense environment," Izaac said.
"It was very surreal. One moment I was doing the test and talking, and the next I could feel the right half of my body going. I couldn't speak."
Dr Chan reacted by flooding Izaac's brain with saline solution in a bid to shock his body.
"It felt like having cold water chucked over me," said Izaac. "Then we carried on."
The operation lasted seven hours. However, an MRI scan showed that remnants of the tumour remained in his brain.
"About 10 days later, I got a phone call from Mr Chan who said there was a bit left. I was worried about chemotherapy or radiotherapy," Izaac said.
"But before I could even ask, he said, 'Come in on Monday and we'll do it again'. And we did."
"Mr Chan carefully took it all out. I was so shocked at how great his skills were. The tumour was benign and has completely gone," Izaac said.
"Six days after, I went back to University. Now I have no side effects and I live a completely normal."
Izaac is currently studying at the University of Birmingham, where he is reading Computer Science. He is now weaning himself off his seizure medication. His story will be told on tonight's (May 10) episode of 999: Critical Condition.
The fifth series of 999: Critical Condition starts tonight at 9pm on Channel 5.
