Help Sandy in Her Time of Need

My name is Jessica, and I am here to share my moms story.

Last year in December my mom, Sandy Johnston, started having seizures. As she went to doctors and received a diagnosis, they slowly got worse. By January she was unable to work or drive and got on short term disability. She was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), which in short- her brain stopped functioning the way it’s supposed to. Almost like the wires in her brain were mixed up. It was caused by unmanaged stress throughout her life (please take care of yourself and your mental health!).

Later in January, my father had an accident and ended up breaking his foot. He was put into a boot pending surgery and has been unable to work as well. For the next couple months, my mom started therapy and visiting specialists in Milwaukee for her FND. We slowly learned more about it, and my mom worked on her exercises to try and get her FND and the seizures under control.

On March 18, my mom began having violent seizures. She was uncontrollable and it worried my dad and brother to the point that they brought her to the emergency room in Fond du Lac. Fond du lac ER was unequipped to handle her condition, so they medicated her and transferred her to the Neuro ICU at St. Luke’s Hospital in Milwaukee by ambulance. They intubated her for 3 days (she was sedated and asleep) and monitored her for more seizures while she was on medication. After she was stable for a few days they eventually let her wake up. To our surprise, the same woman who was having up to 40 seizures a day didn’t have a single seizure, while asleep or awake. She was in the Neuro ICU for a full week before they let her go home.

We still are learning more and more about my mom’s diagnosis. Through MRIs and other testing it was found that she has two different malformations on her brain. One is thought to be not concerning, but the other is a potential threat. They are going to keep monitoring it for a few months and if it worsens she will likely need brain surgery. As of right now the doctors are hoping with her seizures being under control, they will see the malformation getting smaller. Prior to her violent seizures and her stay in Milwaukee, medication was supposedly ineffective for her FND. When she began having the violent seizures, something shifted in her brain and they became epileptic. So the good news is her seizures are able to be medicated and treated now. The bad news is this is just the beginning and we still have a long road ahead of us and a lot more to learn about my mom’s condition.

After reading her story, I think it can be assumed that she has already gained quite the hefty hospital bill. With my dad also out of work and the two of them on disability, they have already been struggling to get by and pay their regular bills. So while my mom is usually the one looking out for others and trying to help anyone she can, this time we are asking for help. Any little bit will help and I can’t express how much it means to us. If you can’t afford to donate, please keep my mom in your thoughts and prayers. And please recognize the importance of mental health!