River’s Emergency Brain Surgery and Road to Recovery
When River suffered a devastating brain bleed after what appeared to be a minor fall, his mother’s quick action, a medical helicopter flight and expert care at Rady Children’s helped save his life.
The emergency began on an ordinary day with what seemed like a minor fall. River fell from a chair onto an uncarpeted section of hard, wood-look tile flooring and hit the side of his head. His father was right there, but initially, there were no obvious signs of a serious injury: no bruising and no bleeding. Paramedics were called but did not identify any signs of a serious injury, unaware of how deceptive brain bleeds can be.
When Didar heard what had happened, her maternal instincts flared. She drove home immediately, feeling in her gut that something was deeply wrong. When she picked River up to assess his level of consciousness, he looked at her for a moment, vomited and lost consciousness.
Knowing the potentially lethal consequences of head trauma and realizing time was running out, Didar acted without hesitation. She and her husband, Sean, called 911 a second time and requested a medical evacuation.
“For a split second, I honestly wondered if I was going to be that crazy mom who ordered a chopper for a minor, or perhaps moderate-but-solvable, medical issue,” Didar shared. “I’m glad I chose not to hesitate and that I trusted myself and escalated things to the highest level possible. It saved his life.”
Minutes later, a REACH medical helicopter landed near their North County home. Didar rode in the front passenger seat while River was loaded into the back. They arrived at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego just eight minutes later.
A Race Against Time
A full trauma team was waiting for River when they arrived. As his condition rapidly worsened, doctors realized he needed immediate surgical intervention and rushed him to CT and then the operating room.
Pediatric neurosurgeon Jillian Plonsker, MD, had driven to the hospital while River was in the air and was waiting for them. She and the operating room team worked quickly to stop the bleeding and relieve the life-threatening pressure on his brain.
Following the successful surgery, Raveen Raviendran, MD, and the pediatric intensive care unit team provided critical, compassionate care during the days that followed, anchoring the family through the most frightening phase of River’s recovery.
For Didar, the experience was a parent’s worst nightmare.
“Within about 20 minutes of getting home, I was suddenly running through a hospital, saying what could have been a final goodbye to my child,” Didar recalled.
Having previously worked as an emergency room medical scribe, she recognized the terrifying signs of a severe medical crisis, including a right pupil that was unresponsive to light and falling blood pressure.
“For a while there, we did not think he was going to make it.”
The Long Road Back
Mom, Didar, and her son, River
River survived the surgery, but the journey was far from over. Recovery was not neat. It was a grueling marathon filled with progress, setbacks and the difficult reality of taking two steps forward and one step back.
Because of the brain injury, River’s gross motor skills were heavily affected. He had to completely relearn how to sit up, crawl and walk, often with his big brother, Forest, holding his hands and encouraging him every step of the way.
Today, River is back to running, jumping, dancing and playing. While he continues physical therapy to address lingering tightness in his right leg when he gets tired, most people would never guess what he has survived.
“It has been a long and difficult journey, but River has been resilient,” Didar said. “We have stayed strong by focusing on what was possible in each moment and being deeply grateful that our son is still with us. The people around us, our loved ones and the incredible medical professionals who displayed such high levels of humanity, empathy and compassion, made this recovery possible. We are so thankful to everyone who has participated in his care.”
Learn more about Neurosurgery at Rady Children’s.