Community Rallies For Langhorne Girl After Life-Changing Surgery

MIDDLETOWN, PA — The community is rallying around a local 11-year-old girl who had to undergo life-changing brain surgery to fight the effects of a rare disorder.

Paige Renson, of Langhorne, is being treated at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia after undergoing surgery on July 9 that will leave her partially paralyzed.

When she was 5 years old, Paige started having seizures in her head and leg, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up in her name. It wasn't until she was 9 years old that she was diagnosed with Rasmussen encephalitis, a rare autoimmune disorder that causes slowly worsening neurological problems in children.

She didn't respond well to medical treatment of the disease and, this year, doctors prescribed a drastic surgery called functional hemispherectomy. The surgery disconnects half of the brain, resulting in partial paralysis, to stop the seizures and prevent further physical and mental deterioration.

"She was courageous and strong going into surgery even though she knew it would take eight long hours," wrote Stacey Kwiatkoski, Paige's aunt and the GoFundMe campaign's creator. "Paige continues to show bravery and strength after surgery."

As she works with doctors and therapists at CHOP, Paige's parents have realized they'll need adaptations to their home for when she's able to return. Donations to the GoFundMe, which had raised $6,425 of a $10,000 goal as of Friday morning, will go toward making the home more accessible.

In an email to Patch, Kwiatkoski said Paige is expected to come home in about eight weeks. She said modifications needed at her home include stairs into her home and to the second story and bathroom.

All of Paige's parents — her father, mother and step-father — work in law enforcement and have taken time off of work to ensure she's never alone while in the hospital.

The GoFundMe post says Paige will mainly be using only her right hand and balancing on her right leg.

"She’s been through so much and was so brave going into this procedure," Kwiatkoski wrote. "We only want to make moving around possible for her going forward."

On Facebook, the Middletown Township Police Department has joined the hundreds of people who have shared the campaign on the site. A post Wednesday also said the department will be reaching out to local handymen, construction workers and other volunteers to help the family out.