[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/04\/delaneys-story-life-after-epilepsy\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/04\/delaneys-story-life-after-epilepsy\/","headline":"Delaney\u2019s Story: ‘You’re Going to Find a Life Again’ After Epilepsy","name":"Delaney\u2019s Story: ‘You’re Going to Find a Life Again’ After Epilepsy","description":"

<\/p>","datePublished":"2026-04-21","dateModified":"2026-04-21","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/neurosurgery-regions","name":"Neurosurgery","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/neurosurgery-regions","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/neurosurgery\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1434532965-e1776793833898.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1434532965-e1776793833898.jpg","height":866,"width":2000},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/04\/delaneys-story-life-after-epilepsy\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Neurosurgery and Brain Health"],"wordCount":1475,"articleBody":" Years of intense seizures took away Delaney O.’smemories, sense of normalcy, and even her personality. But a team of experts at UPMC Children\u2019s Hospital of Pittsburgh helped her fight to get it all back.\u201cI say all the time, they not only saved my life, but they gave me a life to live,\u201d says Delaney, 21, of McCandless Township, Pa. \u201cI can look forward to having my own job in the future, my own house.\u201dIt was a feat that, even a year ago, felt out of reach. \u201cWe had to face the fact that Delaney would probably live with us the rest of her life,\u201d says Melanie, Delaney’s mom.Delaney\u2019s epilepsy was so severe that she needed a temporal lobectomy. But having trusted experts from the UPMC Children\u2019s neurology team by her side gave her the confidence to keep moving forward.But the journey to taking her life back hasn’t been easy.Seizures Don\u2019t Always Look Like SeizuresThe symptoms of Delaney\u2019s initial focal seizures weren\u2019t entirely clear. She experienced intense d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu, strange or overly strong smells, and depersonalization.\u201cIt doesn’t always look like what people anticipate a seizure to look like,\u201d says Melanie.But in July 2022, Delaney had her first tonic-clonic seizure (also known as a grand mal seizure). She immediately saw neurology experts at UPMC Children\u2019s, but all they knew at this point was that one seizure had occurred.They continued to closely monitor Delaney over the next six months, during which time she gave up her driver’s license as required by Pennsylvania law.But invisible illnesses are often difficult to manage, track, and explain. \u201cIt’s hard when you’re trying to tell someone how it’s affecting their life, and they’re like, well, she looks fine,\u201d says Melanie.For Delaney, it was a rough and long process to a diagnosis. In April 2023, after having a second tonic-clonic seizure on a trip with her orchestra, she received an official epilepsy diagnosis.\u201cWhen I was told I had epilepsy, I was a wreck, because I’m like, no, no, no, I love flashing lights,” she said. “I had no idea that epilepsy could be anything else.\u201dFinding an AllyThe family found an ally when they received a referral to William Welch, MD, director of Epilepsy Neurostimulation at UPMC Children\u2019s. He recognized Delaney\u2019s initial seizures as focal seizures.\u201cWhat Dr. Welch did different is he validated all of our concerns and all of our fears and provided hope,\u201d Melanie says.Delaney started trying different medications, but still experienced many seizures. Knowing they could come at any moment was scary \u2014 and with every seizure, she lost parts of herself. It was hard to do normal, everyday activities or even leave the house without worry.Dr. Welch became a reassuring and steadfast presence for the whole family.\u201cThere was not a single time that he said that he didn’t think this was real,\u201d says Melanie. \u201cAnd he gave us hope because he just refused to give up.\u201dWith Dr. Welch, there was always something else to try. He was patient, kind, and always in their corner.\u201cWe were his focus every single time that I called,\u201d says Melanie. \u201cBecause he had the confidence that something was going to work, we had the confidence that something was going to work.\u201dIn early 2024, Dr. Welch determined that Delaney’s epilepsy wasn’t treatable with medication. Their next step was testing to see if responsive neurostimulation (RNS) could work.Finding the Root of the ProblemDuring testing, Delaney and her family met Taylor Abel, MD, chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery and chief of Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery at UPMC Children’s. He implanted electrodes to record directly from the brain using a technique called robotic stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG), which provides precise information about the origin of the seizures in the brain.Due to the intensity of these seizures and how they affect memory, Delaney barely recalls these tests. But it proved invaluable \u2014 the SEEG revealed that the seizures were coming from both sides of the brain in the temporal lobe. This reinforced the decision to use RNS.RNS is a device placed within the skull that monitors brain activity, detect seizures, and then delivers electrical pulses to stop or prevent seizures in response to the brain’s activity.Even though the idea of brain surgery was intimidating, it was the answer Delaney and her family had been looking for.\u201cIt’s very scary to hear that you’re getting brain surgery,\u201d Delaney says. \u201cI was like, oh, I don’t want a machine in my head \u2026 but I actually started looking at it as a superpower. And I told my little cousins, you can tell friends that your cousin’s a cyborg.\u201dRNS changed Delaney’s life, but not in the way she expected.Another Brain SurgeryUltimately, RNS couldn\u2019t control Delaney’s seizures. But it wasn\u2019t for nothing \u2014 it gave doctors a year\u2019s worth of intricate data. This special data demonstrated that although the seizures could start from either temporal lobe, almost all of the seizures originated from only one side, which could be safely removed.Dr. Welch recommended a temporal lobectomy, which is removal of the brain\u2019s temporal lobe. For the surgery, they teamed up with Dr. Abel again.\u201cDr. Abel went in and took out exactly what he needed to take out,\u201d says Melanie. \u201cShe literally has no deficits.\u201dAnd this time, the brain surgery gave the results Delaney and Melanie had been hoping for.\u201cThat was probably the most life-changing moment,\u201d says Melanie. \u201cBecause the person that went into that surgery and the person that came out were two very different people \u2026 they gave us our girl back.\u201dDelaney admits to being angry and tired for a long time before the surgery. \u201cIt’s really hard for anyone to truly fathom how much I changed,” she says. “I mean, my entire personality changed. I feel like I lost two years of my life. I am 21, but I mentally feel like I’m still 19.\u201dDr. Welch explained that the seizures were constant static in Delaney\u2019s brain. After the lobectomy, everything was quiet for the first time.\u201cWhen I woke up from this last surgery, it was like I was a phone that was on dark mode and I was switched to light mode,\u201d says Delaney. \u201cI think I came home and said the word goodness about 50 times. Everything was, ‘Oh goodness.’\u201dThe family will always remember Dr. Welch and Dr. Abel for helping Delaney take her life back. \u201cWithout a doubt, the two of them together, they saved her life,\u201d says Melanie.Delaney quickly began making the most of it, returning to school three weeks after the lobectomy.“I made the dean’s list,\u201d she says. \u201cAll of a sudden, I could study, I could remember \u2026 all these things that were trapped just exploded, and I was so happy, so talkative, and I wanted to be part of the world.\u201dLooking Towards the FutureDelaney has had one more important visit with her doctors, where she received the best news yet.\u201cI have been six months seizure-free,\u201d says Delaney. \u201cI can start driving again, and I can move on with my life.\u201dThe whole family feels elated at Delaney\u2019s recovery \u2014 and who she’s now able to become.\u201cIf I could take her back, this is who she was when she was a little girl,” says Melanie. “This easy, carefree, I can conquer the world, you know, person. Those seizures took a lot of that from her.\u201dAlthough Delaney welcomes her new outlook on life, she can’t help but also think of her past self.\u201cIf I could go back in time, I would just give myself a hug and say it’s not going to be like this forever,\u201d she says. \u201cYou’re going to find a life again.\u201dBut after going through something so difficult, Delaney believes that there’s nothing she can\u2019t do now. It’s a message she hopes will help others her age facing tough health challenges.\u201cFor other kids going through this, don’t ignore what’s happening to yourself \u2014 and don’t give up,\u201d she says.She and her family also realize the importance of spreading awareness about seizures and epilepsy symptoms, so people know when to seek help.These days, Delaney and her mom discuss what the future looks like without the threat of seizures and epilepsy holding her back. Together, they get to ask a question they never thought would come: \u201cWhat\u2019s next?\u201d\u201cWhen you’re little, and you’re thinking this is what I want to be when I grow up,\u201d says Melanie. “We can do that now.”Sources"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2026","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"04","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/\/04\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Delaney\u2019s Story: ‘You’re Going to Find a Life Again’ After Epilepsy","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/04\/delaneys-story-life-after-epilepsy\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]