I used to have epileptic seizures as a child. My seizures started at four months old, which was in 1988, and lasted until I was just shy of 10 years old, in 1998. Much of my testing happened at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. I had many tests. I tried many medications. Medication and diet changes did not seem to work for me 100 percent. Therefore, I had to have surgery — I had five surgeries on the following dates: July 30, 1997; August 2, 1997; October 8, 1997; and June 8 and 10, 1998. The surgeries took place at Saint Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota. The last surgery I had was the miracle that helped stop my seizures, and I was taken off all medications a year after my surgery.
After my surgeries, the doctors diagnosed me with tuberous sclerosis (a genetic disease that causes benign tumors to form in many different organs -- primarily in the brain, eyes, heart, kidney, skin, and lungs).
I am now a healthy adult with a family and no medical issues for me or my daughters. I continue to do checkups for lesions on my brain and in my kidneys about every two years. I am now a healthy adult with a family of my own.
