Emily Cockerham (19) for the first time felt the symptoms of her rare disease when she was only seven years old and was told that there was no medicine for it. A young woman, today claims she was completely healthy until her jumping on the trampoline has started to cause severe headaches, informs
For years she suffered from sudden seizures of pain until she was diagnosed with Chiari’s malformationThis is when the cerebellum slips out of the opening in the skull and pushes into the spinal canal. When they became strong five years ago, the girl was repeatedly brought to the emergency room, where doctors eventually found the cause.
“At first I took it lightly, I was very relieved that I had answers. However, I did not know how serious it was and how much it would affect my life. I also did not realize that there was no medicine and This is a chronic disease, ” describes a young woman. “The first indications that something is wrong came in about seven years. When I jumped on a trampoline, I noticed that I had a headache after 10 minutes, ” She said about the beginnings of the disease.
The pain worsened and spread to the neck and shoulder when she was 11 years old and played various sports. “I often complained, but my parents thought it was growth or pain from too frequent playing. They continued for several years and slowly worsened. I became almost strapped to bed and I could barely sit for dizziness, fatigue, or neck and back pain. I often fell to the ground too, ” added.
The doctors initially thought she was suffering from migraine, but Emily insisted on further tests, and magnetic resonance imaging in 2021 eventually led to diagnosis. Treatment may vary depending on the case but in the case of Emily this included Brain and spinal cord surgery, which she underwent only two days after her 16th birthday.
“During the surgery, they removed a piece of skull and the upper part of my spine, which pushed the brain, then opened my brain mucosa and removed a small piece of cerebellum,” explained. After the surgery, the pain was weaker and Emily felt less head pressure, allowing her to return to normal life. A year after the operation, however, almost all symptoms returned. In November 2024 she underwent another operation. “Fortunately, this has prevented the deterioration of my condition and it has already begun to improve,” says Emily.
Teenager is very unpleasant for her health. “I can’t work right now, which is very frustrating. Because of my symptoms I have also failed to pass driving tests, Because I can only attend lessons when I feel good enough, which is not often, ”she concluded.
