Allegheny County — Brandon Marinacci received an honor at the April 2013 Gala of the Allegheny General Hospital Auxiliary Saturday, six years after he underwent a risky surgery to help treat his epilepsy.
Marinacci suffered from as many as 15 seizures a day over 18 years and was in need of a new treatment.
Medication had little effect on Marinacci’s condition, so his doctor, James Valeriano proposed a different solution.
“That night in the ICU after my second surgery was the first time I have had a full night’s sleep in about 18 years,” said Marinacci.
Valeriano suggested a risky surgery that was not guaranteed to cure the disorder and could leave Marinacci without feeling on the left side of his body.
Marinacci has not suffered a single seizure since his operation in 2007.
This event raised money for a hospital unit, which would specialize in treating patients with epilepsy.