Makenzie Cavalline a girl whose personality is as colorful as her hair has been through more surgeries than Kylie Jenner. Being diagnosed with Chiraide Compression or Chiari for short at the age of 15 has caused a ripple effect changing this young girl’s life forever. Before going on without knowledge of what Chiari is here is a link that can offer some clarity Mayfield Chiari Center.
It all started when Makenzie first
started having nonstop headaches which concerned her mom Tracy and the school
because she would always be leaving early. Soon insomnia and bad eyesight
followed. Taking her to several doctors it soon became obvious. People
with Chiari often develop symptoms during their teen or early adult
years. Chiari symptoms are caused by disruption of CSF flow and compression
of the brainstem and spinal cord.
 |
| Post Surgery |
What was going on was parts of her cerebellum/brain stem/brain tonsils were sitting too low and pushing down into her spinal canal resulting in a blockage of spinal fluid. It was giving Makenzie excruciating headaches and after MRI's and all sorts of tests throughout the span of a year, she was diagnosed and had the surgery 2-3 months later. Of course she tried meds, diet, exercise, first but none of that did anything. So, surgery was the only option. What they did to try and fix her - keep in mind, they failed - was a sub occipital craniotomy which means removal of a small piece of the skull at the back of the head, they also used electro cauterization (electricity to heat, then shrink or remove tissue) to remove brain tonsils. The final step was to sew a mesh bag around the bottom of her brain to hold everything up and to try and make sure nothing slips back into my spinal column again but the purpose of all three of those steps was to free up space at the base of the skull/ neck for spinal fluid to flow freely.
 |
Dying her hair gives her a sense of control
|
It taught Makenzie how to manage pain better. She claims her pain tolerance is crazy high now. But since Sept. 2012, headaches controlled this poor girl’s life. She told me she couldn't go anywhere without her emergency migraine medications, can't stay up too late because that just makes her head hurt. She can't laugh too hard, can't run and had to quit all the sports she used to play. Not being in control of her own life was the hardest part. She is starting to know what triggers the headaches, but they have a mind of their own so she could literally go from perfect to tears in seconds.
Because her grades and high school attendance couldn't get her into a college she plans to go to London. Planning to leave sometime in early January she'll only be staying for 3 months at first. Planning on working at a skateboard company her dad does business with called Lovenskate they are in east London, at a place called Tottenham. That's really all she has planned as for now, but her main goal is she just wants to immerse herself in the city, and the country of England. Wanting to see everything there is to see and meet as many people as she can possible. Makenzie wants to make the most of this opportunity after these last few years being as unpleasant as they were. Her expectations are high for this upcoming adventure.
My Coming
Of Age Story
By:
Makenzie Cavalline
“There comes a time in every
person’s life when their views of their world shift and they see people or
places in a different light. This could be a parents divorce, getting their
drivers license, or maybe something more tragic like a loved one passing away.
For me, this shift took place when I had brain surgery. Until this day I was
naïve and shallow. I viewed the world as black and white, there was no gray.
But, after enduring such a scarring event, my perspective was forever altered.
The realization didn’t quite hit me
until the night before I was scheduled for the operation. I was up all night
tossing and turning, never once finding sleep. I was left alone in my room with
my thoughts and it finally had sunk in, I was having brain surgery in a few
hours. I knew it was coming for months, but I didn’t like to think about for
too long, so the night before is when I took it all in and prepared myself for
what was to come.
The morning in pre-op was a total blur, much like most of my hospital stay. I was being poked and prodded with needles for hours in preparation and was bombarded with unfamiliar faces. In the moment, it seemed that I was waiting forever, but looking back, it happened in a flash. Before I knew it, I was being wheeled down an eerily white and sterile hallway and saying goodbye to my weepy and immensely apprehensive family. I entered the operating room and was introduced to all of the nurses and doctors who would be working with me, and just like that, I was asleep.
Just as fast as I was asleep, I woke
up. I had no concept of time and no idea that almost twelve hours had passed. I
was in my room in the ICU with all of my family. I don’t remember much, and
what I do remember is gathered from my family’s recollections, but I know that
the eight days following were a nightmare. I was tired, but couldn’t sleep, I
had too many medications to count, but I was still in pain, I was bored and
uncomfortable, but couldn’t move. It was intense, but after what felt like a
lifetime, I was finally free of the confines of my room. I was ecstatic to go
home, the feeling was indescribable. The worst of it was over, it was only up
from there.
Recovering from such an event took
months. It was long and hard and I hated having limits, but looking back on it
all, I know it changed me for the better and made me who I am today. Before
this experience, I took little things for granted, and as cliché as it sounds,
it taught me to truly appreciate everything in my life and shake that habit of
being nonchalant.
Looking around at people, you never
know what they are going through or what they have experienced in their
lifetime. Whether it is great struggle or great triumph, everyone has a story.
I try as hard as I can not to judge others because of this. Before my great
struggle, never did I look at someone and think about their story. Now, I
can’t stop. I like to think that I have become a more compassionate person
since. I try to empathize with people, and that is something I never did
before. I feel that my medical misfortunes have led me to look at people on a
whole new deeper and more meaningful level than ever before.
I didn’t want to have brain surgery, and I didn’t want to have surgery on my hips a year later, but I did. I wasn’t ready for it either time, nothing can prepare you for such an occurrence. But, I wouldn’t change my experiences. I am better and stronger because of them, another cheesy, but true cliché. I have become more aware of myself and those around me. I have started living my days to the fullest and taking advantage of every chance I have. I am still plagued with the headaches every surgeon and neurologist promised they could fix, but I am armed with a positive attitude and the feeling that I can handle anything life throws my way.
It wasn’t an easy or fun way of becoming an adult, like getting your drivers license. It was thrust upon me unwarranted and unwanted, but I suppose normalcy just wasn’t in the cards for me. As I sit and reflect on my past, it’s hard to believe I endured such extreme circumstances. A 16 year old having an operation on her brain? Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine such a thing happening to me, but the positives greatly outweigh the negatives. The scars may fade, but the life lessons I have learned are ones I will carry with me forever.”
https://www.thinglink.com/scene/731286852631265281
 |
| Timeline |
