BOSTON -- About 2.5 million people have epilepsy -- living day to day with the fear of seizures.

Video

Rhonda Mann Reports On Surgery RESOURCES More About Clinical Trial About Epilepsy Seizure First Aid Treatments: Medications State Driving Laws

NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported that for some, there may be hope in the form of a surgery. In November, NewsCenter 5 introduced you to a Massachusetts woman who decided to undergo the procedure, despite its risk, in hope of a cure.

Living with epilepsy is like being in jail for a crime you didn't commit, some patients said. Epilepsy had plagued Briana for 36 years. As a child, a bicycle accident left her brain scarred. A series of seizures, uncontrolled by medication, had tormented her ever since.

But now, Briana talks of a miracle. Her seizures, which usually hit three times a week, are gone.

"This is a dream come true. It really is. This is something I have wished for all my life," Brianna said.

In November, doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital operated on Briana's brain, removing a half dollar sized section of scarred brain tissue in the hopes of curing her seizures. While the surgery has been around for a decade, it is just now being done more frequently -- in part because of better imaging.

"In the old days, in about 70 percent of patients with focal epilepsy, we were unable to define where it came from. I would say that number is now less than 50 percent, maybe 40 percent. That means for a much larger number of patients, we can define the problem, and if we can define it, we can do something about it," Massachusetts General Hospital Dr. Andrew Cole said.

The surgery carries risks -- vision loss, memory problems and even stroke.

But Briana says for her, the risks were worth the chance of a normal life. It will take a full year before she can be can call herself cured, but she is hopeful.

"I understand there is not a 100 percent guarantee I'll be seizure free, but I really believe in my heart I will be. I won't be held back, and that's such an awesome feeling. There's no holding me back now, and I just love that," she said.

Briana hopes to be able to drive soon and put her master's degree in health law to good use -- helping other patients with epilepsy find treatments that work for them.

Massachusetts General Hospital is conducting a clinical trial on the effectiveness of epilepsy surgery. If you'd like more information, call (800) 352-9424.