Help Stephanie Recover After a Sudden Grand Mal Seizure

This past Friday morning started like any other day in our house — until everything changed in an instant. My wife, Stephanie, woke up early to get our kids ready for school like she always does. She woke up our daughter to start getting ready for practice and, at some point, must have also woken our son and told him he had practice — a small, strange moment that later turned out to be one of the first signs something was wrong.

She started making lunch for the kids — there were chicken strips cooking in the air fryer — but somehow she ended up sitting on the couch. Moments later, my son heard noises that “sounded like a dinosaur,” and when he went to check, he found his mom sitting on the couch, shaking, with liquid coming from her mouth. As he yelled to wake her up with no response.

He ran to wake me up, and when I got to the living room, Stephanie was having what we would soon learn was a grand mal seizure. Her body was tensed, shaking uncontrollably as she looked like she was being electrocuted and she was unresponsive. I had the kids call 911 while I tried to help her and keep her airway clear. Watching someone you love go through that and not being able to stop it is something I’ll never forget.

When the paramedics arrived, they had to give her seizure medication and rushed her to the hospital. She was placed on a ventilator and sedated for 24 hours to let her brain rest. Doctors worked to bring down her high blood pressure, stabilize her fever, and monitor her brain activity.

After a long and emotional weekend in the Neuro ICU, we finally began to see signs of progress. Stephanie started breathing on her own again, responding to commands, and slowly waking up. Over the next few days, she regained her strength little by little. Tests — MRI, EKG, spinal fluid, and more — all came back clear. The doctors still don’t know exactly what caused the seizure, but they believe it was a combination of a cold virus and high blood pressure that may have triggered it and irritated her brain.

She also developed pneumonia from the seizure but completed a full course of antibiotics and has made progress. She’s now home and recovering, walking on her own again, and slowly getting her balance and energy back.

While we are beyond thankful that she’s home and doing better, there’s still a long road ahead. Stephanie won’t be able to work for at least a month and, by law, she cannot drive for the next six months while remaining seizure-free. This means a loss of income and added strain on our family as we adjust and find ways to keep everything going — from work to kids’ activities to medical appointments.

Stephanie is a hairdresser who pours her heart into her work and her clients. Not being able to do what she loves, even temporarily, is incredibly hard on her. We’re setting up this GoFundMe to help cover medical bills, lost income, and transportation expenses during her recovery.

Our family is so thankful for the love, prayers, and messages we’ve already received. Every donation, prayer, and share means the world to us and helps lift some of the burden so Stephanie can focus on what matters most — healing.

Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for supporting our family through this unexpected journey.

With love and gratitude,

Kerry, Stephanie & the Moten Family