Community Forum Archive

The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.

My son lost his young life to epilepsy

Mon, 09/30/2019 - 21:53
11 weeks ago, my world was changed forever, and my faith shaken to its core.i received a frantic call from my husband Thursday, July 18,2019 to come home immediately that Our son,Joshua, who had just turned 23 years old have drowned in our pool. My other son and his girlfriend walked outside about 10:45 am after getting breakfast out and found my baby floating face down in our pool. Joshua had been diagnosed with grand mal seizures in college, but had only had two that we know of. He was placed on Keppra right after his diagnosis. The week before we were at the beach. Our family had the best week of our lives followed by the worst week of our lives. His brother pulled him out of the pool and started mouth to mouth. His girlfriend started compressions while my husband called 911. My daughter and I arrived to find my son, her brother lying in the pool deck unresponsive with a chest compression machine doing compressions and an EMT using an ambu bag to help him breathe. They worked in his 36 minutes. He never had a heartbeat or breathed on his own. The coroner was called., An autopsy was performed. It is believed he had a seizure and drowned. We will never really now. He was an excellent swimmer and swam 3-4 times a week. He graduated Magna cum Laude from college and was in his last year of his Masters of Divinity program. He wanted to be a chaplain. We are all devastated and in shock still. He was healthy, physically fit, smart, funny, loved to read and loved to laugh. We miss his laugh and everything’s else about him. His brother has Asperger’s and Absent seizures as well. It is like our hearts have been ripped out and stomped on. My heart goes out to other families going through similar things. It’s not fair. No one should ever have to bury their child. #endepilepsy #inmemoryof Joshuaeargle

Comments

https://www.gofundme.com/f

Submitted by Meli7461 on Mon, 2019-09-30 - 21:55
https://www.gofundme.com/f/joshua-eargle-memorial-scholarship-fund?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

Thank you so much for

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2019-10-01 - 14:57
Thank you so much for reaching out and sharing your son’s story. We are so very sorry to hear about your loss, he sounded like such a special person. Please accept our heartfelt condolences. It's important to remember that you are not alone, and we are here for you. We do offer bereavement support groups, that can help you connect with others who have lost a dear loved one. For bereavement support, please contact our Epilepsy and Seizures 24/7 Helpline at 1-800-332-1000,  SUDEP@efa.org , or by visiting: https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/early-death-and-sudep/sudep/support-bereaved

Thank you for sharing. I love

Submitted by natalie2152 on Tue, 2019-12-10 - 18:25
Thank you for sharing. I love hearing other people's stories and love to try to help them in any way possible.

Sign Up for Emails

Stay up to date with the latest epilepsy news, stories from the community, and more.