BRISTOL, Pa. -- A teenage girl from Bristol in Bucks County will be overcoming incredible odds when she graduates from Conwell Egan High School next week.

Christina Santhouse was only 8 years old when one day her ankle suddenly began to twitch, which led to full body seizures.

Somehow, Christina had caught a virus that caused Rasmussen's encephalitis.

"They said there was a virus that was attacking my brain, and the pulsations in my ankle would soon turn into full body seizures and the only cure would be the removal of half of my brain," Christina said.

Christina began having seizures every three minutes. She needed a wheelchair.

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Girl Has Half A Brain

She made the decision to have the operation to have half of her brain removed at Johns Hopkins Childrens Center by neurosurgeon Ben Carson.

"So, I wrote a letter to Dr. Carson and I said, 'I can't live like this any more,' and we scheduled the surgery and went from there," Christina said.

Christina had that operation 10 years ago. She didn't just have part of her brain removed -- as in ordinary epilepsy surgery -- she literally had half of her brain taken out.

"She really does only have half a brain, and you can see that very nicely on the MRI. The right hemisphere has been taken out," said Dr. Sanjeey Kothare.

Kothare is one of Christina's neurologists at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. He said that the surgery wasn't Christina's best chance -- it was her only chance.

Now, Christina is about to graduate from high school with honors. She has a slight limp and her left hand doesn't work at all. She has also lost her peripheral vision, but otherwise, she is an ordinary teen.

"I'm seizure free. No medication or anything. ... I drive, I'm going to college in August and I'm very happy," Christina said.

How can she live and be a typical kid with only half a brain?

Doctors explain that, to a large extent, the other hemisphere compensates in a child and takes over that function. Once you become an adult, however, that can never be done.

"I am very proud of Christina," her mother said. "I have never met someone with so much strength and determination and enthusiasm to succeed at whatever she puts her mind to. She is remarkable. Never gives up."

"I'm just so thankful for having a second chance at life," Christina said.