HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — For years, Taylor Hyma felt like something was missing. A symptom here, a moment there, a puzzle no one could solve.
"I was actually 18 when all of this started, and it was kind of crazy because there were no symptoms. So I was just sitting on the couch with my oldest brother… and then the next thing I knew, I'm waking up in the hospital," Hyma said.
What followed were months of dark rooms, constant fear and a body overwhelmed by seizures that no one could explain.
"When the seizures were at their worst, I was pretty much just on the couch all the time, and I had blankets over my head… all the curtains shut," Hyma said.
Everything changed when Taylor met Dr. Hussam Shaker. To him, her case stood out.
"When I heard about her story, it made me interested to see her as soon as possible, because it's very unusual for people to have new onset seizures, and we cannot control them from the beginning back to back," Shaker said.
After weeks of testing, came a decision most 18-year-olds never imagine facing — major brain surgery.
"They ended up shaving this side of my head… then they cut open into it and got three spots out of it," Hyma said.
Shaker calls her progress one of his most rewarding transformations.
"She moved from completely dependent on her family… on her couch all day… no energy… depression… memory going down. Now… she's like a new patient. No seizures for more than a year and a half. Her memory is much better. Her language is much better. She regained her independence," Shaker said.
A year and a half later, Hyma is finally living again. And scrapbooking has become her way of celebrating.
"Although you have something going on in your life… it's totally possible to still be doing your dreams. We just need to find people who can be there for us… and find amazing doctors like Dr. Shaker," Hyma said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
