High School Grad Heads To College Thanks To Life-Saving Surgery

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – As a recent high school graduate, Jean Cine plans to be an aerospace engineer in the U.S. Army—a plan that just months ago was jeopardized by two potentially deadly brain aneurysms.

Cine, in October of 2014, woke up with an excruciating headache that wouldn't go away. His symptoms worsened, he began vomiting several times a day and his vision quickly deteriorated.

Cine, a senior at North Miami High, was rushed to the emergency room at Jackson North Medical Center where doctors ran several tests which revealed a mass in the teen's head which appeared to be a brain tumor. Cine was transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital where UHealth/Jackson neurosurgeon Eric Peterson, MD, diagnosed him with not one, but two large brain aneurysms.

"I looked it up and found out what it was and, I said, 'oh no I might die,'" Cine said Wednesday.

A brain aneurysm is an abnormal bulge or ballooning in the wall of an artery. They are uncommon, occurring mostly in women over the age of 50. These aneurysms are typically small. Every 18 minutes in the United States, a brain aneurysm ruptures – and nearly half are fatal. Of those who survive, many suffer some permanent neurological deficit.

Dr. Peterson monitored Cine closely while working to develop a treatment plan to repair the potentially deadly aneurysms.

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Cine's case was, as UHealth/Jackson puts is, extraordinarily rare. It's even more uncommon for teenagers to be diagnosed with an aneurysm, much less two giant aneurysms – each one the size of a lime.

"Very large, giant aneurysms on both sides of a teenager's brain is a once in a lifetime kind of thing you see it--it is extraordinarily rare. Most people never see that in their whole career trying to treat these aneurysms," said Dr. Peterson.

Doctors said standard treatments would not have worked for Cine because of the "complicated nature of his case." Therefore, Dr. Peterson used a new device, a stent called the "Pipeline Flex" by Medtronic, to re-create the blood vessel.

Dr. Peterson, in March, performed a minimally-invasive surgery on Cine to recreate the damaged blood vessel.  An incision in his leg was made, which Dr. Peterson navigated stents all the way up his body and into his brain. Once there, he effectively gave the teen a new carotid artery.

Two weeks later, Cine underwent a second surgery, using the same technique and device, to target the second aneurysm.

"It is an indescribable feeling. That's why you do all those years of training, 20 years to be a brain surgeon," said Dr. Peterson.

Cine was able to pick up where he left off. The now-19-year-old graduated from North Miami High School and is off to do what he loves.

"Lately I've been hanging out with my friends on a daily bases, going to the movies, swimming, weightlifting. I feel great words, cannot describe how I'm feeling," he said, adding, "I feel healthy. I feel nice."

Both procedures were successful and, Cine says, "My life is back to normal," adding, "I am so grateful."

Cine will be enrolling in Miami Dade College. He plans on becoming an aerospace engineer in the U.S. Army. His doctor said he's doing great and is expected to live a long and healthy life.