Meet LIly

Meet Lily - an 11-year-old battling Epilepsy.  A few days shy of her first birthday, she had her first epileptic seizures.  After many sleepless nights and long days, her doctors found a combination of medications to control her seizures.  Lily managed to stay seizure-free for over six years while moving from Hawaii to Colorado, California, and now residing in Arizona. 

 

When she was in 3rd grade, her doctors weaned her off her medications, and she began having minor headaches.  The intensity and frequency increased over a few months until a severe migraine caused vomiting, speech, and mobility issues, and she could not recognize family members.  A test confirmed her Epilepsy had returned and the migraines were causing her to have Ataxia - or severe imbalance.

 

She participates in weekly physical and occupational therapy appointments to improve muscle tone, coordination, and strength.  Lily still experiences seizures every few days to a few weeks.  Her migraines have improved drastically though she still reports daily pain.  Within the last year, she was also diagnosed with a hypermobility disorder and struggled with mental health.  Her family is training a service dog to allow Lily more independence at school and home.  Her service dog would alert her to seizures, fainting/dizzy spells, and hopefully, even help her mental health.