Hadyns Hero
Donation protected
Hey Everyone... Most of you know Hadyn, but for those of you that don't, Hadyn is mine and Matt’s daughter. She is the only girl out of 4 and she has 3 older brothers. Hadyn just turned 11!!!
On April 22, 2016 Hadyn had a seizure. The thing is Hadyn has never had a seizure before. So after a trip to the ER, CT scans, and blood work there were no answers other than sometimes it just happens. For us this was not the answer we wanted, but the only answer we got. After her seizure we noticed a few things that concerned us as parents. She was slower to respond, she would go off into her own world, she was very tired, was constantly losing her balance, and more. These seem like small things, but altogether is was concerning. We are extremely lucky to have a pediatrician who was also very concerned.
We were referred to a Child Neurologist who wanted to see her immediately. He wanted to do an EEG on her before we saw him, so we were off to get that done. The EEG was scheduled to last one hour. Lots of strobe lights, breathing heavy and deep, and then being very calm. As the test is going on, I as her mom, knew something was off. But all I can do is wait. The next day we meet with her neurologist. Hadyn and I in the office, Matt on speaker phone because he is in Iraq, when he lets us know what the results of her EEG are and what his diagnosis is. Hadyn is misfiring on the right side of her brain. This means her neurons are not connecting and the signals are not being received. During a 1 hour EEG Hadyn had 4, yes 4, seizure. This means she has epilepsy. Not just a normal form epilepsy, but a silent form of epilepsy. This means that Hadyn is having silent seizures and has been probably for years. The doctor says she could be having as many as 40 a day.
This form of epilepsy is hard to diagnose, hard to spot, and can trick people into thinking that you are flighty or off into their own world, when instead they are having a seizure. It is harder to tell when someone with silent epilepsy is in need of help. After hours of research and many many phone calls, we feel the best way to help her get the help she needs when Matt or I cannot be with her is a service dog. We final found someone who is willing to help us, but this is an expensive journey. Laura from Canines for Hope is all set to help us out. Hadyns service dog will be taught to notify when she is having a seizure, and to break her fall if she has a seizure while standing. He will learn how to turn her on her side and also make sure that her airway stays clear. He will also be taught to retrieve a cell phone so a call for help can go out. He will also learn normal obedience so he will be polite in public.
The cost of her service dog is going to run us around $12,500.00. This does not include traveling to and from south Florida for visits or the training Hadyn will need to receive also. This is just for the service dog and its training.
Any donations that are received will be put towards the service dog and will be greatly appreciated by Matt, myself and Hadyn. This is the best way we know how to help her during a time when help is greatly needed. Again Thank You ALL for your support and kindness.
On April 22, 2016 Hadyn had a seizure. The thing is Hadyn has never had a seizure before. So after a trip to the ER, CT scans, and blood work there were no answers other than sometimes it just happens. For us this was not the answer we wanted, but the only answer we got. After her seizure we noticed a few things that concerned us as parents. She was slower to respond, she would go off into her own world, she was very tired, was constantly losing her balance, and more. These seem like small things, but altogether is was concerning. We are extremely lucky to have a pediatrician who was also very concerned.
We were referred to a Child Neurologist who wanted to see her immediately. He wanted to do an EEG on her before we saw him, so we were off to get that done. The EEG was scheduled to last one hour. Lots of strobe lights, breathing heavy and deep, and then being very calm. As the test is going on, I as her mom, knew something was off. But all I can do is wait. The next day we meet with her neurologist. Hadyn and I in the office, Matt on speaker phone because he is in Iraq, when he lets us know what the results of her EEG are and what his diagnosis is. Hadyn is misfiring on the right side of her brain. This means her neurons are not connecting and the signals are not being received. During a 1 hour EEG Hadyn had 4, yes 4, seizure. This means she has epilepsy. Not just a normal form epilepsy, but a silent form of epilepsy. This means that Hadyn is having silent seizures and has been probably for years. The doctor says she could be having as many as 40 a day.
This form of epilepsy is hard to diagnose, hard to spot, and can trick people into thinking that you are flighty or off into their own world, when instead they are having a seizure. It is harder to tell when someone with silent epilepsy is in need of help. After hours of research and many many phone calls, we feel the best way to help her get the help she needs when Matt or I cannot be with her is a service dog. We final found someone who is willing to help us, but this is an expensive journey. Laura from Canines for Hope is all set to help us out. Hadyns service dog will be taught to notify when she is having a seizure, and to break her fall if she has a seizure while standing. He will learn how to turn her on her side and also make sure that her airway stays clear. He will also be taught to retrieve a cell phone so a call for help can go out. He will also learn normal obedience so he will be polite in public.
The cost of her service dog is going to run us around $12,500.00. This does not include traveling to and from south Florida for visits or the training Hadyn will need to receive also. This is just for the service dog and its training.
Any donations that are received will be put towards the service dog and will be greatly appreciated by Matt, myself and Hadyn. This is the best way we know how to help her during a time when help is greatly needed. Again Thank You ALL for your support and kindness.
Organizer
Tonja Corbitt Hensz
Organizer
Baker, FL