extraordinary people: living with half a brain

Five’s acclaimed documentary strand continues with more programmes exploring remarkable tales of human experience. Coming soon is the story of six-year-old Cameron Mott, who has undergone a radical operation to remove half her brain.

At the age of three, Cameron was diagnosed with a progressive brain disorder that attacked the right side of her brain and threatened to paralyse half her body. Doctors decided the only solution was to remove chunks of her brain in a seven-hour hemispherectomy operation.

This film follows Cameron and her family on their journey from their North Carolina home to the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute in Baltimore for this highly delicate surgery. It captures Cameron as she undergoes the procedure and battles the sudden and frequent epileptic fits that are a side effect of her condition. Incredibly, it is possible for her to make a full recovery – if her young brain can learn to reorganise itself.

The documentary also meets 14-year-old Sean Goldthorpe, who is prone to debilitating seizures. At Great Ormond Street Hospital, his brain is studied in an attempt to understand the cause of his fits. Doctors hope to establish which areas of Sean’s brain they need to remove in order to cure him – but it is a procedure that could have a devastating effect on his speech and memory.