Honoring the Memory of Easton

My son Easton was born on August 6, 2019. He was a happy and healthy baby as far as we knew. In February 2020, however, Easton fainted in his high chair. After rushing him to the hospital, we were informed he had epilepsy. We were given little information about epilepsy and its risks, including the risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). Throughout the remainder of his life, he was on several different anti-seizure medications with a lot of hospital emergency room visits. He would have breakthrough seizures every month or so.

The biggest challenges we faced with Easton's health were trying to find out what was causing the seizures, whether the seizures would ever stop altogether, and how to keep him safe when having a seizure. After several hospital stays, EEGs, MRIs, and ER visits, I had to come to terms with the fact we may never know what caused this to happen to Easton. I stopped living for the why and started living for the "what's next," but little did I know then what that next thing would be.

I spent every day ensuring Easton had the best life possible, trying to live a normal life. He was always joyful, smiling and laughing through all of it. Dinosaurs, Buzz Lightyear, reading, and dancing were some of his favorite things to do. We lost Easton to a seizure in his sleep on October 10, 2022. We miss him so much. He touched so many lives in his short time here with us.

I would tell other families to spend as much time with their loved ones and live life to the fullest because you never know what may happen. Know the risks for SUDEP and know what steps can be taken to reduce those risks. I would strongly urge everyone to talk with their healthcare team and others about epilepsy and SUDEP risks to raise awareness. I didn't know about SUDEP until after I lost my son. 

I want to help save others from this horrible tragedy by sharing Easton's story. If I can save one person by talking about the risks of SUDEP and how serious epilepsy can be, I will be so grateful to make a difference.