#BStrong

Bethy was 11 months old, playing peek a boo with her Mom, Abby, when she fell backward on the floor and had her first seizure.  Bethy or “B” as we call her was diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome.  This is a rare, lifelong form of epilepsy that begins in the first year of life characterized by prolonged and frequent seizures that are difficult to control with medication.   About 1 in 15,700 are affected with Dravet.  Think about that number for a second.  Bethy is that 1.  
SHE makes you know that she is that 1!  Her dancing, her laugh, the joy she brings light up any room she is in.  She loves to have tea parties and play with her older brother, William(Bubba as Bethy likes to call him)and her dog Holden, she loves the ocean and rolling in the sand, she loves bubbles and singing any song from the movie Frozen.  She loves to bake in her play kitchen and when her Dad braids her hair and she loves the colors pink, purple and blue. She loves those colors even more when they are dyed in her hair.  You will never see B without a JoJo Siwa bow in her hair.  I would never leave her house without her giving me a Moana sticker and her telling me she loved me.  This little girl is the true definition of “a gift from above.”
Bethy, along with her family, have been fighting this disease for thepast 10 years.  She has gone through seasons of having to fight harder than others, but right now....TODAY, this is the biggest challenge, toughest fight Bethy has had to face.
B went to the hospital Tuesday, May 19 to have surgery to get an ileostomy put in because her stomach/intestines had stopped breaking down her food and she was blowing up like a balloon.  The surgery was the only option to provide relief and a hopeful long term solution.  The prayer was for her to get through surgery without a major seizure and she did!  Fast forward to post-op where she went into a seizure lasting about 2 hours.  She was transferred to ICUand has remained there since.  She is STILL fighting.  Her EEG shows brain activity, but her liver is not absorbing her seizure meds, her body is unable to regulate temperature, and her blood sugars are high.  She has so many obstacles in front of her.  A team of doctors are meeting with Todd and Abby to discuss plans for Bethys future.  There are so many unknowns, so many emotions, and so many frustrations.  As Bethys mom, Abby, always says, “thank you God for 1 more day,” and that is what the Childers continue to do.  If you know the Childers well or are just following their story, any support(and that can just be prayers) is so abundantly appreciated.  Thank you for reading B’s story, and thank you for your generosity.  As B and her family face the weeks or even months ahead, this fund will bring comfort and stability and be such a blessing for this family.  Peace be with you all and always #Bstrong.