Help Owen & Blake Fight Their Epilepsy
Donation protected
Last week, 14 year old Owen cried out for his parents in the middle of the night. He was terrified by the vertigo-like spinning he was feeling. He then progressed into a full grand-mal seizure.
About an hour later, he had another seizure. This one was worse. He went on to have more than 10 seizures that night, even after returning from the ER.
The ER didn't send him home with emergency medication. All his parents can do is comfort and protect him through the seizures, which attack during his sleep cycles.
His family has now realized their worst fear: both of their sons have epilepsy.
Specialists they have spoken with say that Owen is showing signs of a rare, and life-threatening, form of the disease.
It must be controlled quickly.
But they do not have health insurance and do not qualify for Medicaid. Like so many other families, their income is too low to afford health insurance, but too high to qualify for state programs.
Owen's older brother, Blake, is also epileptic and still in need of an updated MRI. They haven't been able to afford it.
And now this.
Owen's ER bills are already mounting and he still needs a pediatric neurology work-up, including an EEG and potentially an MRI, to find out what is happening to him.
Both boys will also be in need of ongoing treatment but there is much trial and error and many side-effects involved in finding the right medications. The treatment bills will mount rapidly.
This will also impact the speech therapy they just set up for Owen. Costing hundreds per month, this therapy had to be suspended after a previous medical situation, and its financial fallout, impacted their family .
Owen & Blake's mother, Susan, is a dear friend of mine. With no family nearby, she has worked tirelessly to meet her sons' physical, mental, emotional, and even academic needs — all to the detriment of her own health.
Their father, Brent, has spent many nights sleeping by his sons, ready for the next attack.
Owen and Blake need access to diagnosis and treatments and their parents need to know that they are not alone.
I know we're all dealing with extraordinary trials right now, but this family is suffering in ways we can't even imagine. Let's bring these boys the treatments and care they so desperately need.
About an hour later, he had another seizure. This one was worse. He went on to have more than 10 seizures that night, even after returning from the ER.
The ER didn't send him home with emergency medication. All his parents can do is comfort and protect him through the seizures, which attack during his sleep cycles.
His family has now realized their worst fear: both of their sons have epilepsy.
Specialists they have spoken with say that Owen is showing signs of a rare, and life-threatening, form of the disease.
It must be controlled quickly.
But they do not have health insurance and do not qualify for Medicaid. Like so many other families, their income is too low to afford health insurance, but too high to qualify for state programs.
Owen's older brother, Blake, is also epileptic and still in need of an updated MRI. They haven't been able to afford it.
And now this.
Owen's ER bills are already mounting and he still needs a pediatric neurology work-up, including an EEG and potentially an MRI, to find out what is happening to him.
Both boys will also be in need of ongoing treatment but there is much trial and error and many side-effects involved in finding the right medications. The treatment bills will mount rapidly.
This will also impact the speech therapy they just set up for Owen. Costing hundreds per month, this therapy had to be suspended after a previous medical situation, and its financial fallout, impacted their family .
Owen & Blake's mother, Susan, is a dear friend of mine. With no family nearby, she has worked tirelessly to meet her sons' physical, mental, emotional, and even academic needs — all to the detriment of her own health.
Their father, Brent, has spent many nights sleeping by his sons, ready for the next attack.
Owen and Blake need access to diagnosis and treatments and their parents need to know that they are not alone.
I know we're all dealing with extraordinary trials right now, but this family is suffering in ways we can't even imagine. Let's bring these boys the treatments and care they so desperately need.
Organizer and beneficiary
Jennifer Knopf Tutwiler
Organizer
Michigan City, IN
Susan Pearson
Beneficiary
