Emily Graver's journey from a "normal" fourth grader to an adolescent living with only half a brain began in February of 2012, when her teachers at Martic Elementary School noticed she was drooling excessively.

It turned out that the drooling was caused by seizures that were the result of a rare brain disease called Rasmussen's encephalitis.

After the seizures couldn't be controlled through other treatments, Emily had half of her brain surgically removed during a left-side hemispherectomy on December 27, 2012.

Emily and her mother, Kerry, told their story of dealing with the disease and Emily's radical surgery when they were guests in Maria Vita's social psychology class at Penn Manor High School on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

"This is probably something you'll never, ever see again," Kerry Graver told the class.

Hemispherectomy, though radical, is the preferred treatment for Rasmussen's.

In Graver's mind it was the only option for her daughter after months of hospitalizations and drug therapies failed to stop her daughter's unrelenting seizures which struck hundreds of times per day.

"Nothing was working," said Graver, who works as a nurse.

Her daughter's situation had stumped doctors in Lancaster and they were referred to Dr. William Trescher, a pediatric neurologist in Hershey who diagnosed the condition.

Ultimately, Dr. Adam Hartman at Johns Hopkins Hospital performed the surgery.

Emily's visit to Vita's class was part of a lesson on the brain, but it was also a lesson in compassion.

"I want you to understand, this could happen to you — or your children — out of the blue," Kerry said. "And how would you feel?"

Vita's students prepared for Emily's visit by reviewing case studies and brain imaging. They discussed "right brain" and "left brain" phenomena, and concepts of "plasticity" and "crowding."

One of Emily's four brothers is a student in the class.

Thirteen months after her surgery, Emily now reads, walks without assistance, and attends special classes at Marticville Middle School where she could be mainstreamed next year.

Outside of school, she attends Schreiber Pediatric Center where she receives help with speech and other skills.

Vita's students had many questions for Emily and her mother, who speaks on her daughter's behalf.

"She struggles every day with almost everything," Graves admitted, "but she's happy she doesn't have seizures."

Incredibly, Emily emerged from her experience with the ability to sing in perfect pitch, the result of being "right-brained," Graves explained.

Music therapy is also used on stroke patients, she added.

Graves told the students the world is "full of challenges" and that her daughter "meets them her way, usually with a song and a smile."

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