Lavianna Epilepsy Treatment

On July 16th, 2022, my granddaughter, Lavianna, had her first seizure only two days after she turned 2. Her world and our entire families turned upside down on this day. Since then, she has had seizures daily, sometimes multiple times a day. We have had 4 trips to the hospital already and numerous neurological consults and testing, trying to do everything we can to find a solution that works for her.

She has been diagnosed with focal epilepsy and tonic-clonic seizures. This little girl is fighting every day because she has an extremely high risk (80%) for SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy), and every time she goes to sleep, we pray for her to be ok and wake up again.

My daughter has been doing everything she can for her preventative care, and her husband has had to take a leave of absence from work to be at home to take care of them. They currently have a limited income from an online crystal shop, but there is not enough to support everything she needs. Lavianna is on an active care prevention plan designed to help her get to a point where her seizures are under control so she can live the life a child should be able to, where she can go to the playground or out of the house safely and without worry.

The most important part of her care is acquiring a seizure response dog, a form of service dog that will provide care for her before, during and after a seizure. The dog would sleep with her and always be by her side. They will be trained to place themselves underneath Lavi so that when she seizes, she can’t hurt herself on any hard surface. They would be able to alert the family no matter where they are in the house through a unique alerting system pedal that they press to give the family notice so my daughter can come with her emergency medications. This training could be the difference between her getting the care she needs during a seizure that lasts too long in the middle of the night and something unthinkable happening that she can never return from.

My daughter is the strongest woman and best mother I know. She has been through so much already and is raising her children to be strong little warriors like she is. Any support can make a huge difference in giving her a chance for a normal childhood. I hope that Lavianna gets the opportunity to be the sweet, happy, loving child she was only a few months ago again.

Our family would appreciate any help you can provide.