We went to Parent/Teacher conference this past week and Nathan's (my 11 year old son) teacher gave us some of his work. Below is an assignment he had to write about giving the most amazing award, I thought it was interesting to see things from his perspective even though some things are not totally accurate he did a pretty good job explaining things.

By: Nathan Austin
I think my sister Lauren should get the most amazing award because she has seizures. On December 26, 2007 (the day after Christmas) she started having seizures. A seizure is when you start shaking and twitching, you can barely breath so your face turns blue and purple. And while this is happening you are unconscious. She has other kinds of seizures, one is when your legs just stop working and you fall. If you are going down the stairs and your legs stop working you would fall down the stairs and kill yourself. She has had a lot of big falls so she has a lot of cuts. When she started having a lot of those seizures my mom and dad bought her a hockey helmet and she wore it all most every where. It has probably saved her life many times. We call those kinds of seizures drops, because she just drops. She also has flinch seizures, that is when her arm just jerks. She can hit other people or herself with whatever she is holding. She has a lot of smaller seizures that are harder to see, like when she just starts staring for awhile.

So on the morning she started having seizures I was upstairs reading then when I came down stairs I saw fire fighters and doctors in our living room. Lauren had been on the couch and fell over and started twitching. My mom had called 911 and a firetruck and ambulance had come. They did not take her to the hospital but she got a doctor at Primary Children's, he gave her medicine but it only worked for a little while. Then he gave her new medicine but the same thing happened over and over.

We were planning a trip to Disneyland in February. We already had the plane tickets bought but then she started having seizures, so we could not go.

When her seizures are really bad she goes to Primary Children's, once she stayed their for almost a month.

Then my mom and dad found out about a diet that helps seizures. On the diet you have a 4 to 1 ratio butter to protein. She has to have so much butter and cream and only 9 grams of bacon.

I think Lauren should get the most amazing award because she has seizures and can not have normal food. Also, because she can not do things that kids can normally do. Therefor Lauren should get the most amazing award.


I agree Nathan, Lauren should get an amazing award!

*All of my children have
been so wonderful and
helpful during this
difficult time!