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I am writing to you with a heartfelt story of a little girl who is very dear to me. I grew up as an only child and my mother and father gave me their all. They have always been very loving and devoted parents. My parents have given me many sweet memories and things that I hold dear to me, among them they gave me one of my greatest joys, my little sister Katie. When I was fifteen years old my mother discovered that she was pregnant. She wasn't feeling well and went to see our family doctor. We got some astounding news. She was pregnant! That meant everything to me. I would soon be a big sister, which was something I had always longed for. I would have someone else to love and help take care of, and most importantly I would have someone to share my life with. To our surprise we discovered that my mother was already in her third trimester of the pregnancy. She had had her menstrual cycles up until the last couple of months of her pregnancy and that is what really threw us off. She was also having the baby in her mid-life. I hadn't seen my parents so overjoyed in a long time. We had very little time to prepare for this wonderful little miracle.
I'll never forget the day that I came home from school and found a note saying that my mother had gone into labor and was in the hospital. Shortly afterwards I got a phone call from my parents to tell me that everything was going well and the baby could be born within the next few hours. I was so excited and at the same time frightened for my mother and the baby. It wasn't a typical pregnancy but I never imagined what we would soon be facing. I went to sleep that night and was awoken by my father in the early morning hours. He first told me that I had a little sister. I was so overcome with joy, everything that I had hoped for had finally come true. My father then went on to explain that my mother was doing fine but the baby had undergone a stressful delivery and was being closely monitored. That morning my father took me to the hospital to see my mother and baby sister. The baby, named Katie, looked so perfect that I could not remember a happier moment in my life. I instantly fell in love with her. That evening the doctors discovered that my new sister was having seizures. It was quickly decided to transfer Katie to another hospital seventy miles away where she could be given the appropriate care. In the early morning hours Katie was transported by ambulance, in a major snow storm, to another hospital that had a neo-natal intensive care unit. We were all terrified. Once at the hospital anti-convulsant medication was administered to bring the seizures under control. From then on our fear was intense, everything hit us so hard and fast. My parents spent their days at the hospital by Katie's side and their evenings at home with me. Through this ordeal they never forgot about me and my feeling. This was one of the hardest things my family had ever gone through. We did a lot of praying for our little one to get well and to come home where she belonged. After nine long days Katie was released from the hospital and came home. This was a wonderful time for my family. We were finally a family as one and together. When Katie turned one year old the doctor took her off her seizure medicine. She had been doing well and had not had any seizures since her release from the hospital. We felt so much relief. Then when Katie was three she awoke one morning and was not acting like herself. We were scared because we couldn't understand what was wrong. At this time we were not aware of the many signs and symptoms of seizures. We knew that Katie was ill and needed medical attention. We called for an ambulance, and as we were awaiting its arrival Katie started to convulse. It was then that we understood that Katie was having a seizure. At the hospital we were told that Katie had been in a state of status epilepticus and that the situation was quite serious. The neurologist on call decided to admit Katie and to monitor her as well as run some initial tests. At this point we were all feeling so scared and helpless. We were then informed by the neurologist that Katie had epilepsy, most likely due to the brain trauma that occurred at her birth. The prognosis given to us was that the epilepsy was most likely a permanent condition, and that Katie was probably severely retarded.
It was at this time that I really stopped and thought about how precious life and family are, and how quickly everything can change. We had no idea what the future held for Katie, and of course we were all devastated. Katie was placed on the anti-convulsant drug Tegretol. Things went pretty well in the months that followed, until she had another grand mal seizure a year later. In the few years since then Katie's seizures have been generally well controlled. She still takes her medicines and does have occasional seizures. Katie is now in the first grade and is living a fairly normal life. She does have some developmental delays but has a wonderful one on one tutor at school to help her out. She really enjoys going to school and being with her classmates. Katie's epilepsy is being closely monitored by her doctors. She has routine visits and blood work is done on a periodic basis to check the medication levels to ensure she is maintaining a safe balance of health and seizure control.
I am so proud of Katie. She is a little fighter who knows what she wants and never gives up. I am also very proud of my parents. They have stayed strong though all of our struggles and have never given up. My mom is involved with educating Katie's peers and classmates on epilepsy, and has also started a local support group. I now have a child of my own, a son who I love very much. He shares a very special relationship with Katie. Katie has always been a special part of my life, and she will always hold a very special place in my heart!