A Pillar of Strength Through Challenges
Our son Grant’s first tonic-clonic seizure happened one month after he turned 13 years old. He was just about to finish seventh grade and head into a summer filled with baseball tournaments and football practice. Luckily, he was able to excel still with his sports and at school despite the seizures.
We decided to try to stop Grant’s seizures before he entered high school, though, so he repeated eighth grade while we worked closely with our neurologist to find a solution. We did research, testing, and met with doctors from coast to coast about Grant's situation. Unfortunately, the seizures kept coming, and they began to occur more often, with some long-lasting and more violent than others. The epilepsy Grant suffers from was called intractable, progressive, and complicated.
High school was very challenging for Grant, and our family lived in fight or flight mode as we tried to provide a safe and supportive environment for him to achieve the same things he did before epilepsy. We stayed close by him at every practice, every game, and even in school so that we could take care of him when he experienced a seizure. As parents, it was devastating to witness because we could not control or stop them from happening. The unforgiving aftermath that left Grant weak, as well as the debilitating effects of some medications, were also difficult to face.
Grant experienced hundreds of seizures, which along with medication side effects, had a dramatic impact on his cognitive functions, such as speech and coordination. There were times he was unable to walk up the stairs to school, times we had to turn around from school and go home to rest, and times we had to go to the emergency room.
With unwavering encouragement from everyone involved, extra study skills, classes, and academic resources, Grant was able to complete high school on time and participate in his graduation ceremonies! Even with immense challenges, like when his vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) surgery was scheduled during finals week and the two-week stay in the hospital for VEEG’s was not optional, there was support for Grant.
Fast forward 6 years and countless seizures later, we are finally celebrating two months of seizure freedom! Thankfully his side effects have been minimized through manipulation and configurations by a supportive neurologist.
There have been some amazing people along this journey that have given our family selfless support and encouragement, including school administration and counselors who worked diligently to try and find the best platforms and guidance for Grant to be successful in his high school career. In addition to that, we are fortunate that Grant was surrounded by a large group of people including coaches, parents, and friends who offered a commitment of strength, hope and possibilities.
Now, Grant continues to be a pillar of strength for himself and others, and he is currently enrolled in his second quarter of college. We continue to stay close by Grant as our highly skilled team of doctors walk us through the next steps of care, including options for new medications, brain surgery, and exploring new functional neurology therapies.
Reviewed By: Sara Wyen