Girl undergoes new laser brain surgery to remove tumor

A 12-year-old girl is living a seizure-free life, after undergoing a new laser brain surgery procedure here in the valley.

She had a rare brain tumor that caused her to suffer as many as 50 seizures a day.

Doctors say Holly had a brain tumor that was the size of a pea in the middle of her brain. The tumor was causing her to constantly suffer from seizures.

Surgeons at Barrow Neurological Institute performed a new laser surgery on her, that took two minutes, left her with just three stitches, and has allowed her to live the life of a normal, hilarious, middle-schooler.

"The first words I remember my mom saying was, she has three stitches, and I'm like I have stitches. Where's my hair, did I have brain surgery? And then she says Holly listen, this is not easy to explain to you, you had brain surgery, and I'm like what, how could you do this to me?" said Holly Hudson.

Brain surgery obviously didn't affect Holly Hudson's outgoing personality and sense of humor. It's been one year since she underwent the laser procedure, and she hasn't had a seizure since. She says she doesn't miss them.

"I would describe them as peanuts dancing around my head.. the tumor in my brain caused so many different things, math problems especially," said Holly.

"But since the doctor removed it, I have my first B in math!," she said.

Her neurosurgeon at Barrow used a new method to remove the tumor in her brain. Before, doctors would cut the skull and pull it apart to perform the surgery, with this new method they didn't have to cut anything.

"By sculpting the energy of the laser, we can melt away the hematoma, without damaging the rest of the brain, this is not radiation, really just concentrated heat, that just melts it away," said Dr. Peter Nakaji.

"It's a huge day for me, might be a big break to become an actress," said Holly.

Holly will begin middle school next month.