A 15-year-old Cedarburg High School student is recovering after a successful brain procedure Monday meant to stop the frequent seizures she has endured for more than three years. Sophia Ransdell's mother, Janet, says doctors zeroed in on the smaller of two lesions in her daughter's brain as the source of the seizures, and that the surgery marks a hopeful turning point after years of appointments, hospital stays and uncertainty.
According to TMJ4, doctors recommended laser ablation of that smaller lesion, the one Janet Ransdell said is where the seizures originate. “The smaller of the two lesions is where those seizures are originating from, and their recommended course of action would be to do a laser ablation,” she told the station. A GoFundMe page describing Sophia's treatment and recovery says she has two lesions on the left side of her brain, with ablation of those lesions scheduled for this November.
Laser ablation, also called stereotactic laser ablation or laser interstitial thermal therapy, treats targeted tissue with heat rather than removing it through a larger open operation. Children’s Wisconsin says the technique can mean a shorter hospital stay, often one night, but describes it as one option among several—not a uniform treatment for every child. The center says the choice depends on an individual presurgical evaluation, so the procedure itself does not establish what Sophia’s longer-term seizure outcome will be.
Years of Seizures and a Summer Surgery
Sophia's seizures began in 2023, according to the GoFundMe fundraiser organized by Jane Goode on behalf of Sophia's father, John Ransdell, and she has since attended Children's Hospital of Wisconsin regularly for care. The same fundraiser page notes that this past summer Sophia underwent SEEG brain surgery, a procedure used to pinpoint where seizures start in the brain, and spent four weeks hospitalized afterward.
The summer SEEG procedure and the later ablation serve different purposes. SEEG is a diagnostic step: Children’s Wisconsin explains that surgeons place electrodes through small openings in the skull to record activity and locate where seizures begin. Laser ablation is a treatment step, using a thin probe to deliver focused energy to targeted brain tissue. The hospital says its specialists use a comprehensive presurgical evaluation to determine which approach is appropriate for each child.
Sophia’s care is taking place within a specialized regional program: Children’s Wisconsin says its Pediatric Epilepsy Center is the state’s only freestanding pediatric center rated Level 4, the highest designation from the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. The hospital describes that level of care as including advanced testing and a range of surgical options for children whose seizures are not adequately controlled with medication. Nationally, an estimated 456,000 U.S. children ages 17 and younger had active epilepsy in 2022, the CDC estimates.
Janet Ransdell told the station she now spends roughly two hours a day on the phone managing her daughter's care — scheduling appointments and following up with doctors — on top of her full-time job. She serves as executive director of The Woods, a senior living community in Greenfield, and was reportedly leading seniors there in a yoga session just days before her daughter's surgery.
A Community Steps In
Word of Sophia's surgery spread beyond the Ransdell family's immediate circle. Family friends organized a GoFundMe, shared with TMJ4 by the school district, that has raised $20,000 for the family. Neighbors at The Woods also took up their own collection to help.
TJ Schmidt, a neighbor at The Woods, said the community simply decided to pitch in. Janet Ransdell said the outpouring left her overwhelmed with gratitude, telling the station the support showed her daughter that she is loved and treasured, as though people anticipated exactly what the family needed most.
Janet Ransdell described her daughter as a gifted artist and musician who loves the outdoors — and, in her words, an amazing human and a bright light to those she meets.
