After countless hours, the moment that my dad Trevor and his wife Cheryl were waiting for had finally arrived, "congratulations, meet your healthy baby boy."
Not that I would know, but I can imagine there are very few moments that can top meeting your baby for the first time. The relief that parents must feel in learning that their child is both healthy and "normal" must be enormous. Unfortunately in Easton's case, no one knew that these words were not 100% accurate.
I hope that Easton's story can impact more than just those who know him, which is why I want to share it with all of you.
You'd never be able to tell that Easton is any "different" by looking at him. He has developed in the same way any toddler would. He's learned to crawl, walk and run, has become familiar with the victorious potty dance and despite the fact that he jumbles his words around once in a while, he can communicate with the rest of us.
When Easton was 15 months old, he began to experience what was later diagnosed as Complex Partial Seizures.
There were countless trips to the Stollery Children's Hospital. Easton was tested by the EEG procedure on at least four different occasions. He also completed the Video Telemetry test twice, which involves too many wires and not enough play time. Assessments were conducted, but despite the conjoined efforts of doctors and specialists, the answers weren't appearing.
In terms of medication, there was a lot of trial and error. Some medications just wouldn't do the trick, while others seemed to help but cause various complications. Today Easton is on his sixth medication.
There were good days and bad, but finally some hope was revealed when we learned that Easton's seizures were being caused by Cortical Dysplasia. Essentially, his brain did not develop properly. He was born with this abnormality.
Ultimately, surgery became the most promising option and on September 13, 2013 the plans began to unroll.
Easton's endeavour has taught our family a lot about life. Not only is it important to appreciate your existence, but we also mustn't take any of our "perfections" for granted. Our fingers are crossed that on March 12th, Easton's life will be changed forever.
No more medications, no more hospitals, no more seizures.
I will be praying to whatever power is out there for a positive outcome and I would really appreciate it if all of you could do the same. There can never be too much support!
Thank you for taking the time to read about Easton's experience with epilepsy. My only hope is that I have brought awareness to the issue and helped not only my brother but also others who face this condition.
L.
When Easton was 15 months old, he began to experience what was later diagnosed as Complex Partial Seizures.
During a complex partial seizure, a person cannot interact normally with other people, is not in control of his or her movements, speech or actions; doesn't know what he or she is doing; and cannot remember afterwards what happened during the seizure.After learning of this news, the hunt for the cause began. Finding and treating the source of Complex Partial Seizures is very crucial, since the longer they go untreated the worse they get.
There were countless trips to the Stollery Children's Hospital. Easton was tested by the EEG procedure on at least four different occasions. He also completed the Video Telemetry test twice, which involves too many wires and not enough play time. Assessments were conducted, but despite the conjoined efforts of doctors and specialists, the answers weren't appearing.
In terms of medication, there was a lot of trial and error. Some medications just wouldn't do the trick, while others seemed to help but cause various complications. Today Easton is on his sixth medication.
There were good days and bad, but finally some hope was revealed when we learned that Easton's seizures were being caused by Cortical Dysplasia. Essentially, his brain did not develop properly. He was born with this abnormality.
Easton's endeavour has taught our family a lot about life. Not only is it important to appreciate your existence, but we also mustn't take any of our "perfections" for granted. Our fingers are crossed that on March 12th, Easton's life will be changed forever.
No more medications, no more hospitals, no more seizures.
I will be praying to whatever power is out there for a positive outcome and I would really appreciate it if all of you could do the same. There can never be too much support!
Thank you for taking the time to read about Easton's experience with epilepsy. My only hope is that I have brought awareness to the issue and helped not only my brother but also others who face this condition.
L.
Those are some adorable little kids! Good luck to Easton on surgery day. He is a lucky little fellow to have such caring sisters!
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