Kerry's Medical Fund
Donation protected
Hello and welcome to 2018! As my Giggie used to say "I hope it brings you health and happiness." I know that is our wish.
My beautiful wife Kerry was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2005 which was a long road with lots of doctors, tests, medication side effects, and hospital stays. Over the past thirteen years she has seen her share of concussions, torn shoulders, rug burns, sprains, and fractured bones from falls associated with seizures.
Every time she gets knocked down by this disease she gets back up, recovers the best she can, and is there for our family. She is a remarkably strong woman.
It took time to find the right medications to control her seizures and they have helped control things most of the time. Unfortunately, her type of epilepsy has no cure and so seizure management is a continuous effort. This past year has been a bit more turbulent with more frequent unexplainable seizures. It also sidelined her from coaching soccer which has been a difficult adjustment.
This led her neurologist to recommend her for vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy. It is designed to prevent seizures by sending regular, mild pulses of electrical energy to the brain via the vagus nerve. The VNS device is sometimes referred to as a "pacemaker for the brain." It is placed under the skin on the chest wall and a wire runs from it to the vagus nerve in the neck. Possible benefits are fewer/shorter seizures, decreased severity, faster seizure recovery, fewer medications, and improvements to alertness, mood, and memory.
In late December Kerry had surgery to implant the device and is recovering well. Many thanks to the neurosurgery team and nurses at Moses Cone for taking care of her.
Thankfully, we were able to get the surgery in 2017 to take advantage of our now maxed out insurance deductible and that is one reason we have set up this page. The other reasons stem from past, current, and future care. Our family could really use some help getting over this financial hurdle.
We are hopeful that this therapy will give her some calm, stability, and a chance to get back on the field. Thanks for taking the time to read this and wish you all the best in 2018!
Click these links to learn more about epilepsy and VNS .
My beautiful wife Kerry was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2005 which was a long road with lots of doctors, tests, medication side effects, and hospital stays. Over the past thirteen years she has seen her share of concussions, torn shoulders, rug burns, sprains, and fractured bones from falls associated with seizures.
Every time she gets knocked down by this disease she gets back up, recovers the best she can, and is there for our family. She is a remarkably strong woman.
It took time to find the right medications to control her seizures and they have helped control things most of the time. Unfortunately, her type of epilepsy has no cure and so seizure management is a continuous effort. This past year has been a bit more turbulent with more frequent unexplainable seizures. It also sidelined her from coaching soccer which has been a difficult adjustment.
This led her neurologist to recommend her for vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy. It is designed to prevent seizures by sending regular, mild pulses of electrical energy to the brain via the vagus nerve. The VNS device is sometimes referred to as a "pacemaker for the brain." It is placed under the skin on the chest wall and a wire runs from it to the vagus nerve in the neck. Possible benefits are fewer/shorter seizures, decreased severity, faster seizure recovery, fewer medications, and improvements to alertness, mood, and memory.
In late December Kerry had surgery to implant the device and is recovering well. Many thanks to the neurosurgery team and nurses at Moses Cone for taking care of her.
Thankfully, we were able to get the surgery in 2017 to take advantage of our now maxed out insurance deductible and that is one reason we have set up this page. The other reasons stem from past, current, and future care. Our family could really use some help getting over this financial hurdle.
We are hopeful that this therapy will give her some calm, stability, and a chance to get back on the field. Thanks for taking the time to read this and wish you all the best in 2018!
Click these links to learn more about epilepsy and VNS .
Organizer
Stephen Lacz
Organizer
Greensboro, NC
