Dr. Joffre Olaya Archives - CHOC Children's Health

Making great progress, strides after deep brain stimulation procedure

A deep brain stimulation surgery at CHOC has given 9-year-old Ryder and his family an improved quality of life.

CHOC is the largest Brineura infusion center in the US to treat Batten disease, a rare neurological condition.

Life was typical for Geni before she was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 14. After medications failed, she underwent epilepsy surgery.

Dr. Joffre Olaya, a pediatric neurosurgeon at CHOC and medical advisor with Make-A-Wish Orange County and Inland Empire, reflects on 2020.

In a first for CHOC, a multidisciplinary team performs deep brain stimulation on 16-year-old to treat her debilitating movement disorder.

When Celeste’s daughter Camila was going through seizures and epilepsy surgery, she read stories about other kids’ success and gleaned hope.

Brodie’s cancer survivor party was a chance to celebrate the completion of his treatment with an epic Nerf battle and a chance to give back.

Despite her happy disposition, Rylee had a big roadblock: frequent seizures. Six months past her epilepsy surgery, she hasn’t had any.

The Gomez family’s ties to CHOC run deep. Over the years, their CHOC doctors have become like family to them.