NEED TO KNOW
- Witten Daniel was originally diagnosed with the flu, but hours later, lost the ability to walk, talk or breathe on his own
- His mom, Casey Daniel, quickly Googled his symptoms and had him transferred from the local hospital to the care of a neurosurgeon at UTHealth Houston
- Witten underwent a successful four-hour surgery and has since regained his mobility
A young boy in Texas was diagnosed with the flu — and, only hours later, he lost the ability to walk, talk or breathe on his own, prompting his mom to immediately Google his symptoms.
As Witten Daniel’s condition rapidly deteriorated, his mom, Casey Daniel of Lubbock, Texas, did a Google search for answers.
“There are no words to describe how horrifying it is to see your child in that kind of condition,” Daniel told local outlet WAFB. The frightening illness took place just two weeks after he was named MVP of his little league baseball team.
“I thought I was going to lose him that day. Once he was intubated and they had a machine breathing for him, we were able to get some more answers,” Casey told WAFB. He spent weeks in a local hospital with little improvement until Casey found a specialist.
The mother’s search led her to Dr. Jacques Morcos, a neurosurgeon at UTHealth Houston, who specializes in the condition. She immediately reached out to Dr. Morcos, who insisted she transfer Witten to his facility, where he was officially diagnosed with cavernoma and underwent emergency surgery. Pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Manish Shah joined Morcos in operating, which lasted about four hours, the outlet reported.
“A cavernous malformation, also known as cavernoma or cavernous hemangioma, is an abnormal tangle of blood vessels. These are usually found in your brain, brainstem and spinal cord. The thin walls of these malformations may bleed, which can cause seizures or a stroke,” according to Cleveland Clinic.
“I want to say thank you to Dr. Morcos and Dr. Shah for letting me see my friends again,” Witten told the doctors, according to the outlet.
When asked about how he feels to have regained his mobility after surgery, Witten said it was “beautiful.”
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Six weeks following the successful surgery, Witten and his mom Casey returned home to Lubbock. The little one was able to celebrate his seventh birthday, start the second grade, and get back to playing baseball.
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