FOR 17-year-old Meadow, uncontrollable seizures meant she could have hundreds in a day.
Diagnosed just before her tenth birthday, Meadow’s mum Louise describes the ‘horrific’ impact of constant seizures and the journey to find anti-seizure medications that would work for her daughter.
Meadow said ‘I often say I feel like a guinea pig because I’ve tried about 10 different medications to try to stop my seizures. Every time we talk about trying a new medication, I’m scared about what it will do to me.’
Mum, Louise explains: ‘my daughter, Meadow, tried anti-seizure medications but her seizures were just building and building. She‘s had some horrific experiences, primarily from drug side effects. I’ve never felt so scared in all my life. Scared and very, very lonely.
1 in 3 children with epilepsy like Meadow have seizures that can’t be controlled by medication. Seizures can have serious health risks and a huge impact on quality of life.
As National Epilepsy Week approaches (19-25 May) Young Epilepsy has launched a fundraising appeal to support urgent progress into targeted epilepsy research in order to improve diagnosis and treatment options for children and young people living with the condition.
Help Fund Epilepsy Research | Control Seizures
Right now, in the UK, we don’t know why some children develop epilepsy and why some children lose their lives to it. Yet there’s a significant underfunding of research into epilepsy compared with other conditions.
Meadow was just 10 years old when she first noticed strange symptoms—sudden bursts of emotion, confusion, and the unsettling feeling that the floor was shifting beneath her feet. Initially, her mum, Louise dismissed these as odd but harmless, until the day Meadow experienced a severe seizure.
Despite the obstacles, Meadow has shown incredible courage. She has faced setbacks, including the traumatic side effects of her medication impacting her GCSEs, but she remains determined to not let epilepsy define her. “I want to become a dance teacher one day,” she shares. “I want to show other kids with epilepsy that they can still chase their dreams.”
Young Epilepsy provides a host of information and support for young people, families, clinicians and more on their website www.youngepilepsy.org.uk
