Princeton teen recovering well after surgery to stop seizures
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on July 6, 2007 1:45 PM
PRINCETON -- A Princeton teen who underwent brain surgey three weeks ago is back home and doing well, her parents said this week.
Lara Worley, 16, was diagnosed with epilepsy after suffering from multiple, severe seizures, sometimes as often as every week. Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio hoped that surgery would give the teenager some relief after medication and other treatment options stopped working.
So far, so good, her mother, Neva Worley, said.
"You'd never be able to tell anything in the world happened," said Mrs. Worley, who is a teacher on the elementary side of Princeton School, where Lara is a rising junior. "She went into surgery June 13, which was a Wednesday. She was discharged Saturday, and we came home Sunday."
Lara's friends are also pleased with the changes they have seen.
"They said before, she seemed tired, worn out. But now, it's like the weight of the world is off her shoulders," her mother said.
It has been a month now since Lara's last seizure, which occurred a week before the surgery.
She still has some recovering to do -- her hair is covering a two-inch bald spot and she has to stay away from swimming for at least six weeks -- but the headaches that came right after the surgery have subsided, Mrs. Worley said.
In the meantime, the family is happy to be home, but still waiting for the bill. They are not sure how much debt they could be facing.
Their friends and neighbors in Princeton hace already mobilized to help the family, sponsoring a spaghetti dinner that raised $10,000.
And that support is what keeps the family going, Mrs. Worley said. That, and the fact that Lara is doing well.
She said she knew family and friends were praying back home.
That knowledge helped her and Lara as they waited for word from the doctors on the day of the surgery.
"She stayed with us at the Ronald McDonald House and went into the hospital at 8:30," Mrs. Worley said. "They told her to be ready for surgery at 10 a.m."
Lara was finally wheeled into the operating room at 11:30 a.m.
Waiting wasn't easy, but Mrs. Worley made sure Lara knew that there plenty of well-wishes coming her way.
What she did not know is at that moment, a crowd had gathered in the school cafeteria to pray for a successful surgery and speedy recovery for Lara.
And that circle of prayer did the job, Mrs. Worley said.
"It helped having friends back here supporting us with the benefit and with prayers," she said. "There's not better place to live, work and go to church than Princeton."
Donations to assist the family can still be sent to the Lara Worley Fund, P.O. Box 1016, Princeton, N.C. 27569-1016.