Help support Deacon as he undergoes brain surgery

Hello all, this is Tatum and Kennedy Wilson, Deacon’s sisters. We made this GoFundMe to help assist our parents with medical care for our brother who is having brain surgery.

Here is a little of what Deacon has gone through for the past few years:

 

In 2020, our brother, Deacon Wilson, started having absent seizures. If you don't know what that is, it is the 2nd most common type of epilepsy. It causes a lapse in consciousness that results in a motionless stare for about 10-20 seconds.

 

After about a year, Deacon's seizures progressed to become more consistent and aggressive as he now has not only absent seizures but grand mal seizures, also referred to as tonic-clonic seizures, too. These new seizures may cause a person to lose consciousness, fall to the ground, have convulsions, and cry out.

Our parents have done everything they can to find something to help Deacon get back to a typical teenager life. But his days have looked different, from having to be taught virtually almost his whole junior year of high school, to not being able to get his driver's license or permit, to broken bones and bruises, etc.

 

Our parents and Deacon have visited multiple top-rated children’s hospitals nationwide, gathering recommendations from the best of the best. They have done every test under the sun—genetic testing, blood tests, all of the EEGs possible, etc. They traveled to California to attend the National Epilepsy Foundation Conference to meet with other parents, kids, doctors, support services, etc. From there, they traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to go to the Cleveland Clinic.

 

All of these talented, educated, respected individuals recommended the same thing. Deacon should receive brain surgery—specifically Responsive Neuro Surgery (RNS); this surgery is a surgical procedure that uses an implanted device to treat seizures that have not been successfully treated with medication. This surgery can help limit the amount of medication he will have to take, as well as the frequency and severity of any future seizures. This device will also collect data that will help doctors continue to treat him.

 

On September 9, our family will be going to Fort Worth, TX, to Cook Children's Medical Center for Deacon’s brain surgery. The surgery will take several hours and he will stay in Fort Worth for a week for observation.

 

Our family has made it this far because it takes a village. Because of all of the support so far, we have been able to be there for Deacon through these difficult times. Thank you to all our friends and family who have stepped up and checked in on Deacon, prayed for, come over in crises, called, listened, or even just sent good thoughts and support his way.

 

As you might think, brain surgery is not cheap. We must also be in Dallas before and after the surgery. Our family appreciates and wants to thank you for all the support you have shown Deacon and us during this time. It has definitely not been easy, but we have always felt loved and supported, and we know that no matter what, we have a village of people behind us.

 

No amount of donation is too small & if you’re not able to help at this time, please share the post and Deacon’s story and help us get our little Bro back to a place where he can continue to grow and thrive… and we feel less guilty picking on him