Hello Everyone, My name is Hannah, and I am reaching out to you all with a heartfelt plea for your help and support. Prior to June of 2024 Chris' seizures did not affect him much, he has always tried to live life as normally as possible without letting his seizures get in the way. Which is why you may not even be aware that he has epilepsy. However, we are now confronted with a battle that requires all the strength we can muster. Chris is facing two crucial brain surgeries as a result of his epilepsy diagnosis, and we are asking for your love, prayers, and any financial support you can offer during this challenging time. Chris’ story is long, but here we go… 6/21/2024 - Chris was in Springfield, OR for a week of Union schooling. He was driving to school early in the morning and had a seizure while going through a major intersection. Thankfully he did not hit any other drivers, but his truck was stopped by two large trees that were in front of a Walgreens. Someone must have been watching over him because thankfully he only had minor injuries. I woke up to a call from Chris saying that he had been in an accident and that he was in the ambulance headed to the hospital. I let my employer know what had happened and drove to Springfield as fast as I could so I could be at the hospital with him. Thankfully his injuries were minor and he was discharged shortly after I arrived. Chris and I went to the tow yard to retrieve his belongings from the truck. Seeing the truck made me feel sick to my stomach. They had to use the jaws of life to get the door off to remove Chris from the truck. The front and side of the truck were destroyed by the two trees that thankfully stopped him. The truck was without a doubt totaled, which was the least of our worries (Chris loved this truck so much though!). We were just so thankful that Chris was ok, but now we had to figure out how to adjust to our new "normal". Due to the accident, Chris was no longer able to drive. Despite being unable to drive he still working a full time job in sheet metal to support us. Me being the only driver in our household was quite the adjustment, but we have made it work. Mornings were early, nights were late, the commutes were long but we made the best of it. This car accident was an eye-opener, we realized that something more needed to be done. At this point, Chris did not have an official epilepsy diagnosis. He was told by multiple doctors that they did not know why he has seizures, but that his seizures were not able to be controlled by medication despite taking extremely high doses of medication. We did some research and scheduled an appointment with a neurologist that specializes in epilepsy. 1/26/2024 - After a long wait for his appointment date to come, Chris finally had his first appointment with his new neurologist. This appointment concluded that despite Chris taking large doses of medications, they were not at a therapeutic level, there for the chance of medications controlling his seizures was slim to none. His neurologist said she would order some testing for a presurgical work up (MRI & EMU). I don't even know how to describe the excitement we felt when we left this appointment. 2/13/2024 - Chris had his MRI, his neurologist had ordered a special MRI that "slices" the brain more than a typical MRI. She called with his results. The finding was "gray matter heterotopia near the left occipital horn". Prior MRI's had come back as "normal" so this was great news! With this finding, Chris was that much closer to surgery. With this gray matter finding Chris was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. 3/28/22 - 4/7/22 - Chris was admitted to the hospital for his first EMU (Epilepsy Monitoring Unit). This is when they glue electrodes to his scalp in hopes of capturing a seizure so they can find out where his seizures are coming from. This test is needed to move forward with surgery. He was admitted on 3/28, with the anticipation of staying in the hospital for 2 nights then going home. While in the hospital Chris did not have any seizures. He ended up staying in the hospital for a total of 10 nights. 10 nights and not a single seizure. 10 nights of only being allowed to get out of the hospital bed to go to the bathroom. 10/24/22 - 10/31/22 - Chris was once again admitted to the hospital for another EMU. Once again, he stayed longer than originally planned and still did not have any seizures. During this stay we were told that he was close to having a seizure multiple times, but did not have one. (He had a seizure the day before he was admitted so this was so frustrating) 1/18/23 - 1/21/23 - I took Chris to the ER because he was having episodes of laughing, or crying but had no memory of these episodes. The episodes were happening more frequently and after texting back and forth with his neurologist we decided Chris needed to be seen. During intake at the hospital, one of these episodes happened. The nurse that was doing the intake yelled "STROKE!". This was so absolutely terrifying. They rushed him back to a room, there were so many nurses and doctors in the room, it was standing-room only. A couple more episodes happened and each time the room was flooded with Doctors and Nurses. They rushed him back for testing, and all of the tests came back normal. A stroke was ruled out.. thank god, but we were still left with no answer. He was admitted overnight for observation and these episodes continued to happen. After 3 nights in the hospital, Chris was released with no answer as to what was going on. After speaking with his neurologist, she determined that he was having medication poisoning. With taking such high dangerous levels of medications - to the point of poisoning him, but with blood tests showing that the medication was hardly in his system and without being able to capture a seizure while being hooked up to electrodes his neurologist said that she was at a roadblock and there was nothing else she could do at this point. We asked if Chris would be referred somewhere else, somewhere that might be more open to alternative treatment, or somewhere that is a bit more aggressive at getting to the bottom of this. His current neurologist was great. She wanted to do more, but without having any seizures recorded during the EMU's her hands were tied. We were told a good option would be the Mayo Clinic, or the University of San Francisco. We told her we wanted to do some research, and that we would let her know our decision. Mayo Clinic was a great option, but they would just repeat the tests that Chris has already done. We decided on UCSF as they seemed to fit Chris best. The referral was sent, and it was back to waiting for the next appt. While waiting for the consult with UCSF Chris completed neuro-psych testing, and had a PET scan. 4/18/2024 - Finally the big day is here! The video consult with UCSF. This was the most thorough medical appointment EVER, he spoke with Chris for over an hour. The neurologist gave us some hope, he talked as if what Chris is experiencing is just a normal case for him. He made a plan of action and once again, we felt that excitement again. We had hope, the advocating seemed like it was finally paying off. His new neurologist ordered an "at home EMU". 6/9/23 - 6/13/23 - The EMU tech came out to our house and applied the electrodes to Chris' scalp. He set up a video camera in our living room and our bedroom. For this test, Chris needed to be in front of the camera as much as possible so if he had a seizure, they would watch it and see what his brain was doing. ... Now the waiting game begins. It feels so weird and wrong to wish a seizure upon your husband, but having a seizure while hooked up is exactly what we needed to happen. Chris' brain was finally on the same page, and the seizures started! 6/10 - 6/13 - Chris had 5 seizures total!!!! 6/13/22 - The tech came out and removed the electrodes, and once again the waiting game began for the next appointment. The neurologist was going to present Chris' case at the neurology conference and the next appointment would tell us the game plan. 7/17/23 - Chris had a video visit with his neurologist who was accompanied by multiple other doctors from UCSF. They confirmed the seizures were all coming from one area, which points to the spot of gray matter in his brain. THIS WAS JUST WHAT WE WANTED TO HEAR!! The neurologist said that Chris is a candidate for brain surgery!! He gave us a rundown of what the surgeries entail and said his office would be in contact to schedule. 7/20/23 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CHRIS!!! The best birthday ever! UCSF called with the surgery date! ... And now here we are... On August 31st 2024, Chris and I will fly to San Francisco. Sept 1st - Chris will go in for a face x-ray to make sure there is not any metal in his eyes and pre-surgical bloodwork. Due to his job, a face x-ray is required before getting an MRI. Sept 3rd - MRI Sept 5th - SURGERY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This will be brain surgery 1 of 2. The surgery on Sept 5th will be to place electrodes into Chris' brain. These electrodes will be surgically placed into his brain through holes that they will drill in his skull, as well as a grid electrode. I believe the grid electrode will require removing a part of his skull, but I have not confirmed that yet. This surgery will give them the data necessary to move forward with the second surgery. This picture is an example of what happens in this first surgery: Once surgery is complete Chris will spend the night in the ICU, and then will be transferred to a normal hospital room where he will have to wait until he has a seizure. His neurologist said this could happen within days, or it could take weeks. He can safely have the electrodes in place for up to a month. Once he has a seizure and they get the information that they need from the electrodes they will take Chris in for a second brain surgery. During this second surgery, they will remove the electrodes. Then they will either remove the problematic brain tissue (resection) or implant a device called an RNS. The RNS is kind of like a pacemaker for your brain, it would sense when a seizure is coming and then would release electrical impulses into his brain to try to stop the seizure. Cross your fingers, say a prayer, and send good vibes that Chris is a candidate for the resection surgery because that would give him the best chance at being seizure free! After the second surgery is complete, we will need to stay in San Francisco for at least a week, in case for any reason he needs to be seen quickly. After that, he will be cleared to fly home! The upcoming months will be full of challenges, uncertainty, and recovery. As a result of these surgeries, Chris will need to take 3-4 months off of work for proper healing and rehabilitation. While I am incredibly fortunate to have a supportive and generous employer who is helping with some of the hotel costs, we are still facing the financial burden of medical bills, flights, daily expenses, monthly bills, and additional hotel stays. Your contribution, whether it be financial, sharing this post, or sending prayers will make a significant impact on his journey. **How You Can Help:** 1. **Financial Support:** If you are in a position to contribute financially, your generosity will be deeply appreciated. Your donations will go towards medical expenses, travel costs, hotel fees, monthly bills and ensuring Chris has the time he needs to heal without financial strain. 2. **Spread the Word:** Share this campaign with your friends, family, and networks. Your reach can help us gather the support we need to make a real difference in Chris' life. 3. **Positive Vibes:** Your thoughts, prayers, and positive energy mean the world to us. Knowing that we have a network of caring individuals standing by our side provides immense strength. Chris' journey to recovery will undoubtedly be a challenging one, but we are ready to face it together. We have hope that these surgeries will lead to a brighter and healthier future for him. Your support will not only ease our financial burden but will also remind us that we are not alone on this path. With immense gratitude, Hannah
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