Samsmom: Life, Joy, Loss and Loving your Mitochondria

I would say “Happy National Epilepsy Month” but there is nothing happy about epilepsy. Epilepsy is a nasty, scary, misunderstood disease.

According to the epilepsy foundation, A seizure happens when the electrical system of the brain malfunctions….

Unfortunately, the brain is the most studied yet most puzzling part of the human body.

Perhaps that is why we still can’t figure out a cure to this debiliatating electrical malfunction of the brain. Many siezure drugs were discovered by accident; they were used as steroids, migrane medications or to control high blood pressure but somehow it was discovered that maybe they might work for epilepsy.

But it’s still not really known why they work. Not even the doctors….and trust me, there is nothing scarier than talking to a world-reknown epileptologist and having them shake their head and say “I’m just not sure what to do next.”

In honor of National Epilepsy Month, Samantha and I have lit a candle. We have lit it especially for our little friend Jacob who is still in the ICU at Children’s fighting seizures. We have lit it in hopes that even though his doctors are baffled and don’t know what to do next that they will keep searching for answers and a cure for our friend. We have lit it for his parents who have had to be strong for so long and want nothing more than to see their little boy look at them and smile.

We have lit it because we’re not quite sure what else to do to help. So when you go to bed tonight and think a little thought for Samantha, think a little thought for her friend Jacob too. Because we have to keep fighting for a cure. We just can’t give up on what we don’t understand.