After undergoing her second brain surgery before the age of five, Milan Ellis hopes to be home for Christmas.
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Last Tuesday's five-and-a-half hour operation at Starship children's hospital barely slowed down the Lower Hutt girl, who was recovering beyond expectations, mum Talia Ellis said.
"She was walking down the corridors by day four, which is crazy. Apparently, any adult that has had extensive brain surgery would never do that but kids just don't know any better, so she was off toddling down the hallways," she said.
"She's doing really, really amazingly . . . When they start smiling and being cheeky, you know they're starting to feel a lot better."
The Stokes Valley four-year-old needed to have brain tissue removed that caused her West syndrome, also known as "baby epilepsy".
Surgeons initially attempted to cut out the tissue just before Milan's first birthday but had to stop surgery before removing all they wanted to, Ellis said.
But in the operation four years to the day after her first, they believed they had completed the job.
"The surgeons were thrilled. They think they've got everything and they're thrilled at how she's responding," she said. "It's gone as great as it could go."
Milan's first surgery gave her two years without any hint of the epilepsy she had struggled with since she was just 10 weeks old.
About 1 in 50 New Zealanders develop epilepsy at some point and in children such as Milan, it can severely delay their mental and physical development.
The family spent Milan's first Christmas at Starship and despite the festive cheer of hospital staff, wanted to avoid a second. "We might be able to fly home on Christmas Eve - we're so excited."
Milan became quite stressed going to hospital and it had been difficult for Ellis and dad Cam to keep their own fears under wraps.
"I got to go in with her to theatre and put her to sleep and then I had a big cry after that," Ellis said.
"Maybe because I'm pregnant, but it was definitely a lot more emotional this time. You've got a lot more to lose. And it's harder on the older ones."
She was relieved her daughter's operation was over and she had remained seizure-free since then, an important first sign of its success. Before the procedure, she suffered at least 10 every day and up to 20 at night.
"There have been no complications and they're even kind of promising being out by Christmas.
"We're lucky this time. It ended up being five-and-a-half hours - any longer and I wouldn't have been able to handle it."