Seven-year-old couldn't stop laughing after brain surgery
Enna Stephens, 7, had a brain tumour removed and couldn't stop her giggles due to nerve damage
Enna Stephens was diagnosed with a tumour when an optician noticed swelling behind her left eye in June. After having brain surgery, Enna was left with a neurological disorder caused by nerve damage, which affects up to 5% of brain surgery patients. The disorder, pseydobulbar affect, leaves patients unable to control their emotions.
However, instead of uncontrollable feelings of sadness or anger, Enna had the non-stop giggles!
"When Enna came round she was giggling and it just carried on. She would giggle all the time - anything would set her off," Enna's mum Vana said, reports the Daily Mail.
The laughter has not only helped Enna but also her parents, Vana and Dougie, to cope with their daughter's illness.
"We'd visit Enna in hospital and try to put on a brave face but inside we were crushed. But once she started giggling we found ourselves doing the same. It was so infectious, and just a great way of releasing our emotions," said Vana.
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Doctors are confident the surgery was a complete success, with all the cancer having been removed and an 80% chance it won't come back.
Enna's uncontrollable laughing has now subsided and she only giggles when she finds something funny.
As the old saying goes, laughter is always the best medicine!
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