Bryson had his Chiari Decompression surgery on March 29th of this year, and we are happy to say that things have improved dramatically! Though the doctors had told us before the operation that some of Bryson's worst problems were not related to the Chiari, it has now been shown that they actually were. The short-term memory loss issues are gone now. His moderate hearing loss and the ringing in his ears had changed - the ringing is gone, and the hearing loss is down to a very manageable mild level. What we had previously thought was ADD was apparently something to do with the pressure, because since his operation he has been able to function on a fairly normal level - he no longer loses focus, forgets what he's supposed to be doing, etc. He does still have some learning disabilities that he will always have - mild dyslexia and a condition known as Irlen Syndrome which affects the way his mind comprehends what he is reading under normal lighting conditions. But he is learning to deal with the dyslexia, and a colored glare-reducing laminate sheet placed over his reading material corrects the Irlen Syndrome so that his brain can focus on the words and not the glare.

One of the most unexpected things is that Bryson will actually be starting 8th grade in another 2 weeks! We had suspected that he would miss so much school, and that he was already so far behind, that he'd never be able to pass 7th grade. But, Bryson healed from the surgery faster than expected, and once back at school, he kicked it into high gear and managed to not only complete all of the current work, but also all of the missed assignments, and he passed!!!

Bryson is doing very well since his operation - both physically and mentally. He continues to be a wonderful young man, and we are so proud of him!