Seizing Life Seizure-Free

In many ways, 19-year-old McKell Koncsol from Schertz, Texas, is just like any other teen. She has her driver’s license, a car, and a job at the local Walmart. But for most of her life, these everyday milestones seemed impossible.

McKell was born with a brain condition that causes epilepsy, which is defined as two or more unprovoked seizures. Her seizures interfered with her ability to focus in school, build friendships, and enjoy typical childhood experiences, such as swimming and riding a bike. However, under the care of UT Health Austin epileptologist Dave Clarke, MD, and his team at the Dell Children’s Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center, a specialty center within UT Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children’s, a clinical partnership between Dell Children’s Medical Center and UT Health Austin, McKell gained the independence to live a seizure-free life.

“Some well-meaning people have said, ‘Oh, you’ll never be able to drive a car. Don’t even worry about getting a license,’” shares McKell’s grandmother and caregiver, Joy Martin. “But she’s got her license, she’s got a car, she’s got the independence an adult should have. That’s all thanks to Dr. Clarke and his team.”

A Lifelong Condition

McKell’s first seizure was observed when she was just five days old.

“We didn’t know anything about seizures,” recalls Joy. “We only knew something wasn’t right. She would freeze, her eyes would either roll up or to the side or they would flick back and forth, her body would get real stiff, and her legs would straighten out. We rushed her to emergency room, and they referred us to a pediatric neurologist.”

In San Antonio, McKell’s doctors put her on a strict regimen of shots and oral medication for a year. By age five, she was taking four different medications multiple times a day. Despite trying various treatments, her seizures were never fully controlled.

“The medication helped reduce the frequency of her seizures, but they were still happening on a daily basis and were very noticeable,” says Joy.

When McKell was five, her condition led to a near-fatal drowning incident. She hit her head on the pool deck and had a seizure underwater. It wasn’t until two years after this incident that McKell’s doctor referred her to Dr. Clarke, who serves as Chief of the Dell Children’s Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center.

Top-Notch Treatment

Dell Children’s Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center is recognized as a Level 4 Epilepsy Center by the National Association of Epilepsy. This prestigious designation is reserved for programs that meet the highest standards for providing more complex forms of intensive neurodiagnostic evaluation and monitoring as well as more extensive medical, neuropsychological, and psychosocial treatment. Level 4 centers also offer a broad range of surgical procedures for epilepsy, including surgical resection, laser ablation, and implantation of neuromodulatory devices.

“I didn’t know this type of care even existed,” explains Joy.

The Dell Children’s Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center houses the only dedicated pediatric Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) in Central Texas. At Dell Childen’s, McKell underwent three days of monitoring, during which Dr. Clarke was able to pinpoint all seizure activity as originating from a specific area of her brain. This finding gave him confidence that the surgical removal of the affected tissue would be successful.

After removing the affected tissue, McKell was seizure-free for six months. However, after tapering off her medication, McKell’s seizures returned. A year later, Dr. Clarke repeated the investigative studies and found seizure activity in a deeper area of the brain known as the insula, which connects regions that control memory, learning and concentration. Laser ablation was used to carefully remove the insula in order to avoid damage to surrounding normal brain areas.

Following this procedure, McKell remained seizure-free for two more years. When she began to feel the return of familiar symptoms, scans showed that her hippocampus, a hub for learning, memory, and spatial navigation, had shrunk. In 2020, Dr. Clarke and his team removed this small brain region entirely, finally freeing McKell of her epilepsy.

“When I first met Dr. Clarke, I was unsure how his approach would differ from my previous doctors,” shares McKell. “I thought, ‘Is he just going to be like all the others?’ But he gave us hope. He gave me my life back.”

Reciprocated Care

McKell has been seizure-free since her final surgery in 2020.

“From that surgery to now, she hasn’t had another seizure or even a hint of one,” shares Joy, “and she’s completely off her medication.”

Despite the challenges she faced when returning to school, McKell graduated from high school a year early. Now, she’s working and has expressed a desire to pursue a career helping people with special needs. Though she is no longer a minor and doesn’t need regular check-ups, McKell still insists on visiting Dr. Clarke, the man she credits with giving her back her life.

“I still visit every six months,” says McKell. “I managed to convince him to let me come back because I enjoy seeing him and bringing him homemade brownies.”

Dr. Clarke’s dedication to his patients makes them feel like they are the most important people in the world—and to him, they truly are.

“He genuinely cares,” says Joy. “He’s deeply invested in his patients and their families.”

McKell also keeps a photo of her and Dr. Clarke on her refrigerator as a reminder of the powerful gift he gave her: a normal, seizure-free life.

“Dr. Clarke has hope and faith that everyone can live a normal life, and that has inspired me to believe in my own possibilities,” shares McKell.

For more information about the Dell Children’s Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center within UT Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children’s, please call 1-512-628-1855 or visit here.