I'm writing to each and every one of you asking for help with my best friends son Ethan Walker.
He is 8 years old and has had Epilepsy for a few years now. His brother Spencer was also diagnosed with Epilepsy at the same time. While Spencer was able to be controlled on medication, Ethan has not had the same experience.
When he was first diagnosed, we were very involved with his medication treatment and progress. Unfortunately, he had adverse reactions from the first medication regime and ended up in the hospital with a critical Hemoglobin of 2, that required immediate hospitalization and a transfusion.
Shortly after this he was trialed on a number of seizure medications that were not effective. We are up to 10 medications tried. He was classified as having medication resistant epilepsy. At present he is still having seizures, anywhere from 2-32 a day. This has affected his life tremendously, as you can imagine. With each seizure there is a recovery time and loss of the ability to retain information from the lesson of the day.
He struggles to keep up in school. He is falling behind. He has had many EEG's, MRI's, bloodwork, evaluations, doctor's appointments, and emergency hospitalizations. He has been such a trooper. He has such a big heart and a positive outlook on life. He loves people and is always so happy. It breaks our hearts to see him struggle. It has been a long road in diagnosing him properly and getting him the additional support that he needs in school, as the seizures interfere with his learning ability. His family and school friends have been so supportive of him. Each child knows Ethan, and steps up when he has a seizure, holding his hand and supporting him so that he doesn't get hurt during these episodes. Their church has also been a great support for the entire family.
As of 3/3/2026, the surgeons and pediatric specialists reviewed all of Ethan's test results and his recent escalation of seizure activity and decided that he would benefit from surgery to help control his seizures, called a RNS (Responsive neurostimulation system). This will give him the best chance at becoming seizure free or at least having a significant reduction in seizures.
Unfortunately, as we all know, insurance plays a big role in this decision. They may not cover his surgery. We are asking for assistance in helping to pay for this surgery, as the parents have decided that they want him to have the surgery in order to increase his quality of life. They are willing to do whatever it takes to give him a fighting chance at a life of normalcy. We are asking, if anyone can donate, please help.