I wanted to share our latest Fundraising appeal with you and introduce some amazing little Superheroes who take on the challenge of epilepsy every day. These little ones amaze us and we hope you will be touched by their stories too.
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Not All Superheroes Wear Capes
Superheroes come in all shapes and sizes, and have their own set of powers and weaknesses that make them unique.
At Epilepsy Action we come across little superheroes every day – children who face the many challenges of having epilepsy, with the fabulous superpowers of courage, heroism and bravery.
Seizures may be their Kryptonite, weakening them with fatigue, anxiety and even disabilities, but just like Superman they manage to fight another day, more often than not with smiles on their faces.
I would like you to meet some of these gorgeous pint-sized fighters for whom even getting out of bed each morning can be a major struggle.
Meet Our Little Superheroes
Seven-year-old “Super” Piper battles multiple seizures daily that can affect her breathing and leave her exhausted.
According to her Mum, Summer, while the seizures and recovery vary, “the one consistency is Piper’s superhuman ability to smile”.
“If we could offer an extra superpower to Piper, we’d choose strength to fuel and empower each part of Piper’s little body. The strength to hold her head into an upright position, to give her a voice, to allow her arms to embrace, and her legs to stand, run and skip alongside her siblings.
Most of all we would give her the strength to heal so she may move forward without fear of the seizures that steal her milestones and her smiles,” says Summer.
You can read more about Piper and some of our other inspirational young superheroes in the Taking Action newsletter below.
But now I’d like to introduce you to Jackson, another superhero of mega proportions.
Jackson Has Hulk-Sized Inner Strength
The Incredible Hulk is Jackson’s favourite superhero and his Mum, Renee guesses it is because he is big, strong and green!
Jackson, aged 11 has an intellectual disability, autism and a complex form of epilepsy, so it’s a little tricky to know exactly why he likes this Avenger, but he insists on sleeping with a Hulk toy each night.
“Jackson is a gorgeous, happy-go-lucky child. He’s has all these issues but they don’t matter to him. Despite his disabilities, he still wakes up with a smile on his face every single day, and just loves life,” Renee says.
While Renee is grateful that her son copes so well with life in general, she would like to have her own superpowers to help him if she could.
“I know life is going to get harder for him so I would like to be able to see into the future and learn how to best help Jackson as he gets older. And I’d like to be able to give him some close friends.”
Since his diagnosis at just over two years of age, Jackson has had “hundreds of seizures” of many different types contributing to his numerous developmental issues.
Epilepsy Action has been a major part of Renee and husband Tyrone’s support team, especially in the early years of diagnosis when they were also coping with Jackson’s baby sister Charlotte.
“It was a major juggle with both children being under the age of three, so I relied a lot on Epilepsy Action. Jackson was having a number of different types of seizures on a regular basis and I’d ring the nurses to ask advice on what type they were and whether we should go to the hospital. I’m really grateful for all the help they have given us,” she says.
Our nurse educators have also assisted with providing comforting Ted-E-Bears for Jackson and Charlotte, and developed tailored seizure management plans to assist those who care for him.
In Our Eyes, You Are a Superhero Too
Just like superheroes, you are helping make a better world for those with epilepsy through your donations.
Because of your gift we can assist our little superheroes and their families in so many ways, like funding our nurse educators and supporting research into medications desperately needed to help control seizures.
Please make a tax-deductible donation or commit to regular contributions so that we can continue to help children like Jackson and Piper fly higher, fight harder and keep smiling.
With many thanks in advance,
Carol Ireland
Click below to read more in our Taking Action Newsletter.
