She Did What at Nine Years Old?

Here’s why her journey is so important to me. My son has intractable epilepsy. In a nutshell it means he falls in the stats of the 33 % of those diagnosed with epilepsy whose seizures are not controlled on traditional pharmaceuticals. He was diagnosed at 4, underwent failed treatments with pharmaceuticals, brain surgery and even controversial chemotherapy treatment…none of which worked. At 11 he has much better control of seizures. We’ve had to up our game, supplement and complement with the non traditional stuff. This too is controversial. He uses CBD oil, which helps reduce his anxiety. There is still so much stigma and judgement associated with this therapy. Angry folks condemn our parenting decisions, saying we are making our kid “high.” Here too, we have a need for education. CBD is the non-munchie, non-sedative part of the plant. The psychoactive parts of the plant comes from THC which is negligible in his medicine. We’ve also worked with energy healing and meditation and visualization to support him in calming his nervous system when he feels the onset of a seizure. The hospital specialists simply pooh-pooh it, though we have seen a shift in the reception of this from the young interns coming in. Once again research has actually demonstrated a link between mind and body that helps support healing. For us, these techniques and alternative medicines have cut his seizures in half from where they were when we only had pharmaceuticals. So there is a story of hope to be shared there. Additionally, on many occasions, when recognizing his aura (his sign that tells him a seizure is about to hit), through the deep breathing and visualization my son can stop a seizure from hitting. So here is another story that can be shared. In fact he’s expressed an interest in writing a book to share the story to help other kids (and adults) regain a sense of power when it comes to their seizure management.

We’ve talked about it, the ideas are all there in his head and in our conversations. So often we let ourselves be dissuaded by the inner chatter, fear that says, “I don’t know the first thing about writing a book”, or “I am not a very good storyteller”, or [insert any other excuse here]. While it’s true that we don’t have all the answers, we do have the inspiration. We do have the shining example of Megan Cassidy to help us turn our story into a light, a beacon of hope. So while I and he are a few years older than Megan was when she forged this path of awareness, I am inspired to share our family’s story knowing that if even 1 other person is reached and relates to the message and finds hope that we’ve paid forward the collateral beauty that’s been afforded to us. I am sure Megan didn’t know the first thing about starting a movement. She simply had an idea that came from the heart and pursued it.

Thank you to you Megan Cassidy for the inspiration you are to me and my family and so many others around the world.