The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1960-02-05
BRAIN SURGERY
GIVES HOPE FOR
A NORMAL LIFE
An Interesting Story Of An Op-
Grafton to Help Johnston
County Child
BY BERNADETTE HOYLE

A four months old baby girl,
who underwent a delicate brain OPP
Grafton at the age of ten weeks,
faces a brand new year with hope.
The miracles of modern science
may make it possible for Carla
Gage Price of Route 1, Selma, to
triumph over hydrocephalus, or
water on the brain.
When Carla Gage opened her
bright blue eyes into the world
last September 9, she might have
been just another much wanted
bundle from heaven. She was
that, but she was more-she i'm
mediately became a statistic, one
of the $4,000 babies born annually
with one or more significant birth
defects. One out of every 16 ba-
bies in the United States is born
with congenital malformation of
some type. Carla Gage was one of
those sixteenth babies.
Minutes after her birth at Rex
Hospital in Raleigh, her parents,
Mr.. aand Mrs. Carl Price, were
told by their doctor that some
thing was wrong. The baby who
weighed six pounds, five ounces,
had type of spina bifida called
meningomyelocoele. This was a
protrusion on the spinal cord,
nTalforation of sac along the
vertebrae. Over a period of sew
eral weeks, it became apparent
that the baby also had hydro
cephalus. This meant that the
fluid which bathes the brain and
spinal cord and is normally alb
sorbed as it is being formed, was
blocked by an obstruction which
prevented this usual flow, causing
an enlargement of the head. Pres
sure of the fluid on the brain, if
continuous, would result in an alb
normally large head, which event.
ually would become too heavy for
the child to lift. There was also
the certainty of damage to the
brain cells. Carla Gage faced the
possibility of paralysis from the
waist down.
Shock, grief, bewilderment and
finally, acceptance, were expert
enced in rapid succession by the
young parents. This was their
first child. The doctors complete
frankness about the baby's condi-
ton helped them to adjust to the
situation. Their pastor, the Rever-
end Aubrey Mcclellan, of Thanks
giving Baptist Church, stayed
with them during the long hours
that night. "And we will never
forget the comfort he gave u.s."
they said.
Was there any hope? Could
anything be done for Carla Gage?
There was a chance, a fifty
fifty chance, stated the doctor,
that surgery might help. Recent
advances in neurosurgery for n.y.
drocephalus has greatly increased
the possibility of successful treat
ment of this type of birth defect.
Both parents were eager to do
anything that might possibly help
the baby. Consultation with a neu-
rosurgon was the next step, and
plans were made to perform the
operation at the earliest possible
time. A chart was kept on the
baby's head size, and when she
was ten weeks old she was
brought back to the hospital for
the operation on November 10.
The operation lasted 211 hours.
Two incisions were made, one at
the right temple and one below
the jawbone. A plastic tube with
a newly developed valve was
placed into the distended part of
the ventricular system to allow
drainage of the INSTRUCTED area,
taking the excess fluid into the
heart area.
Within ten days, the baby's
head had reduced in size and her
disposition had changed COM
pletely. A fretful, nervous and
highly agitated infant had be-
come a calm, happy baby who
slept well, ate well and showed
no signs of nervousness.
Her weight is that of a normal
baby of four months and both
doctors and parents are delighted
at the results of the operation.
The National Foundation, whose
work in aiding polio victims, and
in developing the Salk polio vac
cine, is well known, and has now
expanded to include birth defects
and arthritis. M. w. Stancil of
Smithfield, Chairman of the
Johnston County Chapter, The
National Foundation, offered help
from the local March of Dimes
freasl,rv. Current March of Dimes