I've talked about Andrew and his battle with daily seizures before, so that's not new to note today.... but in my little way to try to raise awareness and understanding of Epilepsy and our entire family's struggle, here are a few facts about Epilepsy that you may find of interest...
WHY: Epilepsy/seizures happen when the electrical system of the brain malfunctions. This malfunction causes an uncontrolled surge of energy through the brain causing unconsciousness and contractions of the muscles. Epilepsy can be caused by abnormal brain development, lack of oxygen, brain injury, brain tumors, genetic conditions, infections, and for many there is never a found cause.
WHO: A whopping 3 million people suffer from some form of Epilepsy. There are over 200,000 new cases being diagnosed each year. 3 MILLION PEOPLE!!!!
ANDREW: Andrew's seizures fall in the syndrome category and are classified as Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS). ONLY 1-4% OF PEDIATRIC EPILEPSY CONSTITUTE LGS. LGS is rare and a debilitating form of childhood-onset epilepsy. This syndrome is characterized by frequent seizures, multiple seizure types, a resistance to medication or therapies, mental retardation or regression, and an abnormal EEG. Andrew meets all these criteria. It is highly unlikely that we will ever find medication or a treatment to stop Andrew's seizures. We've been working on that for over 10 years. Andrew continually struggles with daily seizures and their effects. We struggle with what is the least amount of medications we can give to combat the seizures in any way possible, and in turn not leave Andrew in a drug stupor.
10 years ago I knew nothing about Epilepsy, nor did I know anyone who suffered from it, now it is one of the hugest parts of my life.
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