27/08/2026
🧠❤️ HALF OF HER BRAIN WAS REMOVED… BUT HER LIFE DIDN’T END THERE.
At just 7 years old, Christina Santhouse was diagnosed with Rasmussen’s encephalitis, a rare neurological condition that caused severe seizures.
By the age of 8, she was reportedly experiencing up to 150 seizures a day. Some were so violent that they even caused her to vomit.
Doctors eventually made an extraordinary decision: Christina needed a hemispherectomy, a major brain operation to control the seizures.
On February 13, 1996, Christina underwent a 14-hour surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The procedure, performed by neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, involved removing the affected right hemisphere of her brain.
The surgery changed her physically. She lost significant motor function on the left side of her body and faced years of challenges.
But she kept moving forward. ❤️
🚗 At 17, she earned her driver's license.
🎓 She went on to earn both a bachelor's and a master's degree.
🗣️ She became a speech-language pathologist.
🏡 She eventually became a homeowner.
❤️ She also married and continued building her life.
Her story is a powerful reminder that a difficult beginning does not have to determine your ending.
She faced something most of us could never imagine—and still found a way to learn, work, love, and build a life of her own.
Never underestimate the human capacity to adapt, persevere, and keep going. 💪❤️
