A little girl from Northern Ireland who was born with a potentially deadly brain condition that made her head swell has overcome it and is thriving now.
Myah Morgan-Laverty was diagnosed with hydrocephalus—which is caused by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles (cavities) deep within the brain—when her mother, Emma, now 40, was 20 weeks pregnant.
If left untreated, the neurological disorder is considered to be fatal.
When Emma and her husband, Andrew, 37, from Belfast, welcomed Myah into the world in 2018, she had a “massive” amount of fluid around her head—with the circumference increasing by 0.5 cm (0.2 inches) each day.
“Myah can’t walk, talk or swallow. When she was born, I kept wondering - where is this going to leave us?“ Emma, who cares for Myah full time, said. ”But she is absolutely unbelievable.”
However, Myah, now 5, has undergone six different surgeries—including open heart surgery, fundoplication (an operation to treat acid reflux), an abdominal catheter fitting, and most recently she had a shunt inserted to drain the extra fluid.
The surgery to drain her shunt required the entire right side of her head to be cut open, however, Myah has already bounced back.
The “sassy, smiley, and very cheeky,” toddler who feeds through a peg connected directly to her stomach is as tough as nails and wanted to get back to school to play with her friends.
“This was probably the biggest surgery she’s had to date - but she’s already back in class, getting out and about,“ Emma said ”We’re immensely proud of her.”
Myah started school in September 2022, and quickly became “the most popular girl in the class.”
“It’s rare to see her without a smile on her face - and in fact, she’s become a bit of a local celebrity,“ Emma said. ”Everyone knows her name!”
As the little girl is unable to walk, she’s happy to shuffle along the floor with her friends.
Despite being told that she won’t be able to talk, Myah has learned the names of her favorite people, bands, and artists.
“She can say ‘Emma’, ‘dada’, ‘nana’ and ‘Anya’—she’s never called me ‘mom’!“ Emma said. ”Myah also knows the names of her favorite musicians: Abba and Ed [Sheeran].
“Her all-time favorite song is Dancing Queen, and she’ll say ‘Abba’ whenever she wants to listen to it—which is usually 500 times a day!”
Emma and her husband, who also cares for Myah full-time, often reflect on Myah’s diagnosis and say they never could’ve imagined things would be as good as they are now.
“She’s been through several major surgeries which have been much harder on me and Andrew than her,” Emma said. “Myah is a very resilient little girl. She’s absolutely thriving, and we couldn’t be more proud of her if we tried.”
