Madie's Story

Nerve Graft Recipient

In January 2017, Madelyn (Madie) underwent a routine surgery to have her wisdom teeth removed. Her mouth was numbed as part of the procedure. Several days later, the right side of her tongue remained numb, causing her difficulty to speak, eat, and practice sports at school.

Madie and her parents sought medical help, and they soon learned that the persistent numbness in her tongue was the result of damage to her lingual nerve, the nerve that provides sensation to the tongue. The nerve had been damaged during the procedure to remove her wisdom teeth. Madie underwent surgery to repair her lingual nerve in May 2017 and, thanks to a donor’s gift of tissue (a processed nerve allograft,) her damaged nerve was repaired.

The donated tissue ultimately allowed Madie’s lingual nerve to regenerate, restoring sensation to her tongue.

Today Madie is back to organizing class activities, is academically at the top of her class, and will play lacrosse for a top-tier university.