>> A WORKING MOM WITH A WORRISOME DIAGNOSIS.
>> THE BLOOD VESSELS IN YOUR BRAIN.
>> A COLLEGE STUDENT STRUCK AT SCHOOL.
>> I HAD STARTED POUNDING, AND I COULDN’T REALLY SEE.
>> JUST DEALING WITH A RARE CONDITION.
>FOR LEANNE, IT MEANT BUILDING BACK HER LIFE.
>> SHE CANNOT WALK, TALK.
>> FOR VANESSA, IT MEANT LIVING WITH RISK.
>> DEATH, PARALYSIS, MEMORY LOSS, STROKE.
>> OR TAKING A BOLD STEP.
>> THE DECISION BECAME MINE.
>> THE CHOICE OF HER LIFE.
NEXT ON "CHRONICLE." ♪ >> WE HAD THE PERFECT LIFE.
YOU WILL HOME, FAMILY, HEALTHY CHILDREN, SUCCESSFUL CAREERS.
L -- >> EVERY TIME I PICKED UP THE BABY OR BENT OVER TO PUT THE BABY IN THE CARSEY I WAS HEARING A STRANGE SOUND IN MY EARS THAT WERE NOT RIGHT.
THAT IS WHEN I REALIZED IT IS TIME TO SEE A DOCTOR.
>> IN ADDITION TO THE SOUNDS, SHE HAD HEARING LOSS.
HER DOCTOR CAN IDENTIFY THE CAUSE, SO AN MRI WAS ORDERED.
>> WE WENT FOR THE MRI.
I GOT AN EMAIL.
THE EMAIL SAID THE MRI HAS IDENTIFIED A HEALTH FORMATION OF THE BLOOD VESSELS IN YOUR BRAIN.
THIS IS A BIT OUT OF MY SCOPE, SO WHAT HAVE YOU TALKED TO YOUR PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR AND COME UP WITH A PLAN.
BY THE TIME I GOOGLED I HAD ALREADY HEARD FROM MY PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN.
TO STAY OFF THE INTERNET.
THIS COULD POTENTIALLY BE SOMETHING QUITE SERIOUS.
I WAS A COMPLETELY HEALTHY, WORKING PROFESSIONAL MOM.
NOW I WAS FACING SOMETHING THAT REQUIRED ME TO SEE THE HEAD OF NEUROSURGERY.
AT THE TOP BOSTON HOSPITAL.
I COULD NOT WRAP MY HEAD AROUND WHAT THEY WERE TELLING ME.
AM I GOING TO BE OK?
MY GOING TO DIE?
-- AM I GOING TO DIE?
I COULD NOT COMPREHEND THAT.
♪ >> SEPTEMBER 2007, LEANNE WAS DRIVING AS A FRESHMAN AT ELMS COLLEGE.
>> I LOVED IT.
I WAS JUST GETTING INTO. THE SWING OF THINGS.
I WANTED TO BE A SPEECH THERAPIST.
I WANTED TO HELP PEOPLE.
>> JUST ONE MONTH INTO THE SEMESTER, LEEANN’S MOTHER SUSAN ANSWERED A FRANTIC CALL FROM HER DAUGHTER.
>> SHE WAS CRYING HYSTERICALLY AND SHE KEPT SAYING I CANNOT, I CANNOT.
AND S I SAID I CANNOT WHAT.
I HAVE ASKING HER QUESTIONS AND THEN SHE HUNG UP ON ME.
>> AT THAT POINT, MY HEAD STARTED POUNDING.
I COULDN’T REALLY SEE.
IT WAS LIKE GOING IN AND OUT OF LACK.
-- BLACK.
>> I SAID I’M GOING TO HANG UP AND CALL THE SCHOOL.
I THINK YOU NEED HELP.
>> LEEANN WAS RUSHED TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL.
>> THEY IMMEDIATELY HAD A SURGEON COME OUT AND TALK TO ME IN TELL ME THAT SHE HAD SOME TYPE OF BLEEDING IN HER BRAIN.
AS WE WERE TALKING, WHEELING HER DOWN TO THE OPERATING ROOM, AT SOME POINT THEY LOOKED IN HER EYES AND HAD SEEN SOMETHING AND JUST SAID WE HAVE TO GO.
I WAS JUST HOPING SHE WAS GOING TO WAKE UP.
♪ >> DOCTORS QUICKLY OPERATED ON 18-YEAR-OLD LEANNE TO REDUCE THE PRESSURE ON HER BRAIN.
THEY THOUGHT SHE EXPERIENCE A SMALL BLEED THE DAYS LATER AN MRI REVEALED THE PROBLEM WAS MUCH BIGGER.
IT WAS AN ARTERIAL VENOUS MALFORMATION, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS AN AVM.
VANESSA GARZA WAS ALSO DIAGNOSED WITH A BRAIN AVM, BUT HERS HAD NOT RUPTURED.
MORE ON HER STORY LATER.
AVM’S ARE RARE, OCCURRING IN LESS THAN 1% OF THE POPULATION.
THEY CAN GO UNDETECTED, NEVER CAUSING A PROBLEM, OR CAN CAUSE HEADACHES, SPEECH OR VISION PROBLEMS.
WORST-CASE SCENARIO, THEY RUPTURE, RESULTING IN PERMANENT PARALYSIS, EVEN DEATH.
>> LEANNE IS A TYPICAL CASE AND IS WHY THE PROBLEMS ARE SCARY.
>> LEANNE NEEDED ANOTHER SURGERY.
THIS TIME AT BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL WITH DR. EDWARD SMITH.
>> HE ULTIMATELY WAS FOUND TO HAVE THIS BLOOD VESSEL MALFORMATION.
AVM.
A LITTLE TANGLE OF BLOOD VESSELS THAT PEOPLE HAVE FROM BIRTH AND THEY NEVER KNOW THEY HAVE IT.
THIS IS A PICTURE OF HER BRAIN RIGHT HERE.
YOU CAN SEE A LITTLE LUMP THAT LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE APPLE WITH SOME FUNNY BLOOD VESSELS AROUND IT.
IT LOOKS DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF THE TREE.
THIS IS A WEAK SPOT THAT WAS LIKE A WATER BALLOON BEING SWOLLEN.
LEAD GOING INTO IT IN A LITTLE TINGLE AROUND IT THAT LEADS TO THE HEMORRHAGING.
WHAT HAPPENED IS THE BLOOD VESSEL IN THE AVM GOT ENOUGH PRESSURE BEHIND IT THAT AT LEAKED, AND SHE SUFFERED A LOT OF BLEEDING IN A SHORT TIME AND WENT INTO A COMA.
>> A STROKE, A COMA, ANOTHER SURGERY.
THESE WERE DIFFICULT WORDS.
>> THEY SAID SHE NEEDED SURGERY BUT THAT THEY COULD NOT EXPLAIN TO ME IN DETAIL.
>> I LOOKED IT UP AND SAID NOT TOO MANY PEOPLE SURVIVE WHEN IT COMES TO THE POINT WHERE WAS.
SO IT WAS VERY FRIGHTENING.
>> ON THE SCANS, DR. SMITH TOLD THE RISKS OF LEANNE’S >> SURGERY.
>>>> THERE IS A BIG WHITE AREA WHERE SHE HAD THE STROKE.
THIS IS THE PART OF THE BRAIN THAT WAS INVOLVED IN LANGUAGE AND ALSO WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BODY.
>> A DELICATE SURGERY LASTING MORE THAN 10 HOURS.
DR. SMITH AND HIS TEAM WORKED TO SEAL OFF AND REMOVE THE AVM.
DR. SMITH WALKED OUT OF SURGERY WITH HOPEFUL NEWS.
HE SUCCESSFULLY REMOVED THE AVM.
LEANNE WOULD LIVE.
WHAT WOULD SHE BE THE SAME?
♪ >> IT IS INCREDIBLE.
NOW SURGEONS AT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL CAN DO A DRY RUN OF THE SURGERY?
>> USING X-RAYS AND MRI RESULTS, THEY ARE ABLE TO CREATE A 3-D MOCKUP OF THE BRAIN WITH T AV SURGEONS CAN PRACTICE REMOVING THEM.
A
AVM.
I HELD IN MY HANDS.
THIS IS INCREDIBLE TO SAY THE LEAST.
>> VANESSA WAS PRESCRIBED PATIENCE.
>> WE WATCH IT AND CROSS OUR FINGERS AND HOPE IT DOES NOT RUPTURE.
>> WHAT COULD SHE LIVED WITH THE UNCERTAINTY?