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Boy Nicknamed 'The Bulldozer' By Friends Survives Brain Surgery In Bay Area Hospital

PALO ALTO (CBS SF) -- A boy nicknamed 'The Bulldozer' is heading home after life-saving brain surgery at a Bay Area hospital.

Jailem Sidhu's mother Monica described her two-year old son as a strong kid, but he was no match for a large blood clot that developed in the back of his brain, building up pressure inside his head.

One minute he was napping, the next he was screaming in pain. He had to be airlifted to Stanford's Lucille Packard Children's Hospital, where doctors first relieved the pressure from the clot.

"He was very sick. He was in a deep coma. He required life saving measures and it wasn't clear if he would survive in the very beginning," said Neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Edwards.

A brain scan showed Jailem had a large clot in his brain, and would need surgery. But, he had to wait thirty days to regain the strength needed to survive the operating room.

After six hours of surgery, the procedure was a success.

"This is about as complex a surgery as we do in neurosurgery. It's difficult, very high risks. But once the clot is out, he's cured, he can't bleed again," Dr. Edwards said.

There was a chance Jailem could have been partially paralyzed, but he regained full strength.

"It's unbelievable, he's doing so well…. he just had the surgery on Friday, he's sitting up. Able to move all limbs. That was just a huge burden off our shoulders, a huge sigh of relief. We can just let go of that anxiety a bit," Dr. Edwards said.

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