My Story…
At the age of two, Preston was diagnosed with epilepsy and despite lots of trial and error with drugs (far too many drugs to count), Preston was experiencing 100 seizures a day. Although the seizures were mild in their appearance, they were extremely frequent and after a severe week of non-stop seizures Preston was admitted into the Alberta Children's Hospital (ACH). It was at this time that the Neurologists discovered that Preston had a rare case of Continuous Spike Wave Syndrome (CSWS) which meant that his brain would spike all night long which prevented him to get any rest (this went on for years). Despite Preston's long and challenging journey with Epilepsy and CSWS he embraced everyday with the biggest smile on his face.
Watching your son go through this was beyond difficult, especially when as a parent, you are helpless and the only thing you can really do is put on a brave face, comfort them and shower them with lots of hugs and love!
During this time, not a day went by that we did not thank ourselves extremely lucky to be in the amazing care of the Neurology Unit at the ACH. We developed a close relationship with Dr Kirton, his lead Nurse (at the time) Dave and the whole team. They supported us through Preston’s Journey, and on the bad days, (and yes there were many of these) they were always there to brighten the day and provide stability and the hope we all needed to get through this. With their support, care, kindness and world class Neurological experience, Preston did make it through this dark tunnel and is a very happy, seizure free, 10-year-old boy.
We will be forever grateful to the team at ACH. Preston, with support from his parents, have made it his mission to give back to the ACH and ensure that the kids, teenagers, adults going through epilepsy can look to this great team for support.
Preston is going to raise money for the Alberta Children’s Hospital by running 10KM in the Servus Calgary Marathon on May 28th 2023. After raising over $5,000 in 2021, his goal is to surpass that and raise $10,000. If you wish to donate to this great cause please register here
Recent donors
Donation date | Donor name | Donation amount |
---|---|---|
May 19 | Janice Hoskins | $54.31 |
May 18 | Ross MacDonald | Undisclosed amount |
May 18 | Ross MacDonald | Undisclosed amount |