This past week (August 12th-16th) my brother in-law and sister, Nate and Tina noticed their 4-month-old, Zoey was having weird muscle spasms that over a few days became concerning. On Friday, August 16th they went to consult a doctor about their concerns for Zoey. That doctor visit quickly turned into them being sent to Children’s Hospital in the Twin Cities for Electroencephalogram (EEG) testing. This along with multiple other tests determined she was having Infantile Spasms, which are epileptic seizures that can be found in babies between 4-6 months of age. An MRI also found multiple cysts on her brain and could possibly be linked to the cause of her seizures. It will take more testing and many more hospital visits to determine what caused the cysts and how exactly they are affecting her.

They were able to take Zoey home for now, but this is only the beginning of their journey to determine what is wrong with their sweet little girl. Currently Zoey is on multiple medications, including steroids which is causing her to struggle with sleep, be irritable and immune compromised. Due to her current state of health, frequent doctor visits and weakened immune system, Zoey is unable to go to daycare. This means Tina is unable to work and must take an unforeseen amount of time off without pay.

At this time anything will help as Nate, Tina and Zoey face the unknown and hope this long road will lead back to Zoey being her happy, healthy and smiley self! All money donations will go to medical expenses and to help them financially while Tina is unable to work.

-Amber