If you have had the pleasure of being around Nikole, then you know how truly amazing she is. If you haven’t, then you are missing out! This girl is sweet, thoughtful, kind, and the toughest person I know. She wants nothing more than to drive, go to college, and start her journey into adulthood, but having epilepsy has put some of these things on hold temporarily. Getting a Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) will give her better seizure control and allow her to be more independent. You can support her on this journey by helping ease the financial burden of the additional travel costs.

Nikole started having seizures when she was 6 years old. After a week-long stay in the hospital, she started taking anti-seizure medication. Over the course of a few years, the medication was adjusted, and eventually, she was weaned off to see if it was possible that she had outgrown the seizures. Things looked promising after a long period of being med and seizure-free, but in October of 2016, she started having much larger seizures.

Nikole has been to doctors in Alaska, Texas, and Seattle over the years trying to figure out the kind of seizures she has, medications, seizure control, and most importantly, how to manage her epilepsy with minimal disruption to her life.

Epilepsy has created many challenges for Nikole over the years. She has always taken the disruptions in stride, keeping a positive attitude and a smile on her face, but it hasn’t always been easy. Nikole doesn’t have the independence that most 18-year-olds have. She has had to give up things she loves like swimming and put things like driving on hold because seizures make these activities dangerous. Seizures have slowed her down from time to time, but she has never stopped fighting. In high school, she participated and lettered in cheer, received the Mariner Way award, was an active helper in the SPED classroom, and she worked her butt off to graduate.

Nikole’s medical team has determined that she has two different types of seizures happening: one in the front right side of her brain and the other in the left middle. Despite trying to find an effective medication combination, it seems that her epilepsy might be drug-resistant, which means she may never be seizure-free with medication alone.

However, the amazing neurology team at Seattle Children’s Hospital thinks placing a Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) will be a step in the right direction for better seizure control and more independence. This is not a cure, nor is it a sure thing, but there is scientific evidence that it can significantly reduce seizures, and Nikole wants to move forward with it to see if it can help her.

This is a medical procedure that will require multiple trips to Seattle. She will be looking at three, 4-6 night trips within the next two to three months.

Nikole is really fortunate to have good health insurance that will pay for most of the procedure and the follow-up appointments that are required. However, insurance doesn’t pay for airfare, lodging, food, and transportation to/from the hospital. The money that is raised here will go towards those additional expenses and any uncovered medical expenses.

Thank you so much for supporting Nikole on her journey to better seizure control

With VNS Therapy implanted, patients may:

Have shorter seizures and less severe seizures.

See an improved quality of life.

Expect no additional drug-related side effects.