GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County teenager is struggling with a life-changing condition that has paralyzed him -- and now his family wants to make other parents aware.
The day after Valentine’s Day, Salman Panjwani's life changed forever. It started with a headache, and then a family member found him unconscious in their home and he had to be airlifted for emergency surgery.
“He comes in in the morning and says, ‘I have a pounding headache.’ I said, ‘Take a shower and we will go from there.’ He didn't take a shower, so I went to check on him and found him unconscious on the floor,” his aunt, Sakina Jaffer, said.
Panjwani suffered from a rare condition called arteriovenous malformation, or AVM.
“It happens to less than 1 percent of the world's population,” Jaffer said.
Dr. Erik Fisher explained what causes it.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Georgia community mourns Americus officer killed in line of duty
- Notorious 86-year-old jewelry thief accused of pocketing $2,000 necklace
- Body camera video shows moments before suspect shot Lavonia officers
“The veins don't meet properly and this is a very rare disorder, that over time pressure builds up in those veins and you can have a rupture in the vein that then causes blood to pool in the brain,” Fisher said.
Panjwani also had a stroke and his right side is paralyzed.
“They had to remove part of his skull because the pressure from the aneurysm was building up,” Jaffer said.
His aunt said that before the day he collapsed, he didn’t have any medical conditions.
“He used to be track manager for the last three years and he was singing in the choir,” Jaffer said.
The Parkview High School student goes to the Shepherd Center twice a week so he can walk again. Panjwani told Channel 2’s Craig Lucie he will be singing and walking soon.
Jaffer said she wants to raise awareness so other parents know more about the disorder.
“Look into how to prevent it. There's no symptoms, it’s just a headache. If this could be prevented that would be really helpful,” Jaffer said.
[ A GoFundMe page has been created to help the family with medical expenses. ]