My name is Malissa Burcham and my son is Christopher James Green II. Please read his story and if you are able, donate to his recovery. Thank you.

Christopher is a 33-year-old son, grandson, friend, college grad, former Rugby player overall, fun-loving guy and most important, father to SCARLETT ROSE GREEN. He has been employed at Eligo Energy for almost 10 years and until recently, excelled at his position as Channel Manager.

I set up this GoFundMe because his health and financial situations have gotten worse. He needs help with his growing financial struggles due to epilepsy. He has been on unpaid FMLA for over 8 weeks and still has not been cleared to return to work. He had a small “nest egg” that is completely exhausted. He cannot apply for unemployment benefits because he is on FMLA. He also can’t apply for mortgage assistance because he is not in foreclosure. I have been helping him apply for any assistance available including food stamps and medical financial assistance.

MEDICAL ISSUES

Christopher had his first grand mal seizure at 22 years old. He was diagnosed with idiopathic temporal lobe epilepsy, which basically means, “epilepsy with no known cause”. He was seizure free for almost 8 years but at age 30, his seizures started again, first, every 3-4 months but then more and more frequent. He was hospitalized over 10 times since late 2022.

Temporal lobe seizures have caused Christopher both physical and psychological obstacles; a head contusions, dislocated shoulder, deep bruising, muscle damage, fever, infection, anorexia, and major tongue bites. He has also experienced psychological problems; PTSD, paranoia, fear, depression, and anxiety. He has had numerous MRIs, EEGs, scans, medications, hospitalizations, doctors’ appointments and even a spinal tap but still no answers. Christopher also has Celiac, an autoimmune disease that makes it difficult to absorb nutrients and medications. It has been a real challenge, especially when he is sick.

SLEEP/AWAKE SEIZURES

Christopher used to only have seizures while he was sleeping or relaxed but that changed in 2023. Last summer he had his first “awake” grand mal seizure and it was traumatic. He has no memory of the seizure or the events that followed but we believe it started when he went to his car. His door was left open for hours and his two dogs were left outside. Inside, he started in the bathroom where he broke a marble table and ripped the toilet seat off. Almost everything on the kitchen counters was on the kitchen floor and there was a broken lamp in the living room. We believe he then tried to go to his bedroom but fell down the stairs. The visible trauma was startling (pictures below).

PSYCHOSIS:

Christopher’s behavior and memory changes have been life altering. Most issues are due to the effects of grand mal seizures but also medication. In January 2023, he was put on the seizure medication, Zonisamide. Unfortunately, Zonisamide caused him to go into a state of psychosis (Loss of contact with reality. Thoughts and perceptions are disrupted and the person has difficulty recognizing what is real and what is not). He became extremely paranoid, afraid, depressed and confused. He was living a reality that wasn’t “real” and still struggles to figure out what was real during his worst time. During his 2 months of psychosis, he could no longer rationalize his thoughts. He turned the electricity off in his house, disposed of his electronics, drank Red Bull to stay awake, lost 25#, carried a pocket knife for protection and went on the run. With the help of his Uncle Kevin, we found him and he was admitted into Froedtert Hospital. He hated me before and having him admitted to the hospital did not help. He was released in 3 days without any changes to his mental state except increased paranoia and anger.

A month later, he was admitted to another hospital and thankfully, the facility doctor figured out that his medication was causing his psychosis. Once he stopped Zonisamide, the extreme effects of psychosis started to wane; however, he is far from our fun-loving, outgoing Christopher. He still struggles with memory issues, fear, depression and cannot legally drive due to seizures.

FMLA. FINANCIALS

Christopher has not been able to work since June 2023. His employer graciously kept him on payroll until 8 weeks ago when FMLA kicked in. Last week, his doctor said he wants him to take additional unpaid FMLA so another MRI and brain mapping can be completed. We chose FMLA because it allowed him to keep his medical insurance and hopefully a job. Insurance was a blessing but FMLA is unpaid leave is devastating financially.

Updates to follow.