Hello, my name is Lynette Martinez, thank you for taking the time to ready my daughter Kendra’s ongoing battle.

My daughter Kendra, born in August of 2008, began having seizures at the age of two. We rushed her to the Espanola Hospital where the staff were unable to contain her seizure. The doctors quickly decided to air lift Kendra to Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque NM, where we stayed for a few days. The doctors sent us home with 3 to 4 different medications. Kendra’s seizures intensified and was soon diagnosed with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Years later, Kendra’s Neurologist referred her to the Children’s Hospital in Denver Colorado. Many more tests were performed along with many long days and nights in the hospital, in hopes of finding some answers. After having an Electroencephalogram (EEG) test and staying in the hospital for 3 weeks, doctors scheduled Kendra for a WADA test. The WADA test was performed to identify which side of her brain would trigger the seizures so they could remove it. Kendra needed to be awake for this testing; they put her right hemisphere to sleep and then the left. The seizures were coming from the left side of her brain and if they performed the surgery, Kendra would have lost her memory and speech. This surgery was no longer an option.

Trial and error became the norm for our family. Kendra is currently taking 3 different medications twice a day. Recently, we traveled back to Denver Colorado for more testing and her doctors have concluded; Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS) would be Kendra’s best option. The RNS is an implant that acts as a pacemaker to help prevent seizures or brake them down before they begin. The RNS will be installed in Kendra’s skull and remain in her skull for the rest of her life. On May 17th, 2024, we will be in Colorado to support Kendra through her six-and-a-half-hour surgery. We will return to Colorado a month after the RNS has been installed so the doctors can program the implant. From there on out, we will be back and forth every 3 months for follow-ups and doctors’ readings. Kendra will return every 8 years to have surgery to maintain the implant.

School for Kendra has been difficult, she constantly falls behind, puts sports aside, misses school functions, and is unable to obtain a driver’s license; but our Kendra aspires to regain focus and do what she can. Thank you for reading my daughters story, we are so thankful for any donation you are willing to give, and if you are unable to give at this time, we’d love for you to say a prayer for our Kendra. Any money donated will be used to pay for housing in Colorado for Kendra’s surgeries and transportation expenses.