Epilepsy Awareness Month

As I was changing my profile picture for Epilepsy Awareness Month on Facebook, I realized that I had not posted to the blog since Zac's big day! His surgery was in the middle of a new semester for me at work, and with three kids of my own, I guess I've just been busy with life.
His Intracranial EEG went great!

He has had a seizure since surgery, but I am very happy to say that tomorrow he will be 7 weeks seizure free!

This is the longest he's been since they started 4 years ago!! I've had the pleasure of Zac visiting a few times since surgery and he seems to be doing GREAT!! The hardest part is trying to tell a 10 yr old boy that he can't get on a bike, scooter, ect. But, all in all, I am amazed! I hope he will continue to improve. He had a check up with his Dr in Augusta on Monday and from what I understand it went very well. His parents went into this with the hopes of improving his quality of life. So far, so good. :)
I hope everyone will take a moment this month to learn a little about Epilepsy. November is Epilepsy Awareness Month.

Read an article, talk to someone affected by it, and help us to spread awareness. I know as a mother, that my sister has struggled with the "why my child" from time to time. I like to think that Zac was handed this so that he could bring people together and make the world a better place. And boy has he!! Thank you all for your calls, concern, and prayers! I hope he continues to improve and I will try to post more often. ;)
Until next time, spread the word, stay tuned, and count your blessings everyday!

-Zac's Aunt Court

The Big Day is Here!

It's with red swollen eyes that I type this entry today. But not out of worry or fear. These tears come from pure love and joy. Zac will be having his Intracranial EEG here in about an hour. The number of people that have come together for him and have been praying for him is amazing.
How am I not scared to death for him, you ask? How am I not a worry wart? The answer is easy. I've researched, taken notes, and typed about epilepsy until midnight many times with the hopes that it would make me a better aunt, help me be able to help more, and to spread epilepsy awareness. But I, like Zac and his parents, have had to lay it all down. This is bigger than any of us and I truely believe that there is only one that can handle this. There will be no spirit of fear welcome today. Only hope, love, peace, clarity, and joy. Please join us in lifting Zac up. Thank you all for taking the time to care, help, and pray. This is the next step in Zac's journey.
I will update everyone asap. Thank you all again for everything! I know it means the world Casey, Dewayne, and Zac.
Until next time, spread the word, stay tuned, and count your blessings everyday.

-Zac's Aunt Court

Intracranial EEG FRIDAY'S FACT

It's been a few weeks since I've posted. Zac's Intracranial EEG will be on September 1st. I thought it would be fitting to put some facts out about Intracranial EEG. I've had several people ask me about it. What is it? Why are they doing it? Ect... I hope this post will help to answer some questions. I'm not Web MD or a medical doctor. Just an aunt that at times becomes obsessive with Epilepsy research for selfish reasons.

When scalp EEG and neuroimaging scans don't provide enough information to preform epilepsy surgery, it may be necessary to preform an Intracranial EEG. It's an invasive procedure that places electodes on the surface of the brain to get an accurate reading of the brain's activity.
There are two types of Inrocracranial EEG's. One is called Intrapoerative Electrorticography. I'm not going to go into huge detail with this one b/c Z man is having the other, which is called Extraoperative Monitoring. In this Intracranial EEG the electrodes are placed in or over the brain in the areas where the epileptic focus is thought to reside. They are then left in and on the brain at the end of the operation. Recordings are made from electrodes while the person is awake and alert, and having seizures. They are then removed at a later date (average seems to be 4-5 days) with the hopes of gathering enough data to be able to remove the sections of the brain that are causing the seizure activity. Extraoperative EEG is usually used when surface EEG scans cannot pinpoint the seizure site, various scans show conflicting information, or when there are seizures from more than one area of the brain.
There are 3 types of electrodes used in Intracranial EEGs. There are strip electrodes, Grid electrodes, and depth electrodes. I know that he will have grid electrodes (one on each side), but I'm not 100% about which kind are going in the back. He will have 4 total.
The hope is that they will be able to collect enough data to be able to determine what the best next step is for Zac. That next step may be a surgery done at the same time that they remove these electrodes. Last I heard from my sister, it will take them about 9 hours to perform it. I could go on and on with the tiny details about it, but I don't care to. I trust that this is the best solution for Zac. I know that God doesn't make any mistakes and that Zac is hard at work on his testimony.
At this point it looks like they will be at the hospital for about 3 weeks, and then he will have a 3 month recovery time at home. Of course, if they decide to do another surgery when the electrodes are removed, then those time frames may change.
I will try my best to keep everyone posted on Zac's progress. I hope I was able to answer a few questions about the Intracranial EEG itself for some of you. Thank you all for keeping up with Zac and spreading the word. Please help us to lift him and his parents up in prayer. I know at times prayer has been all that has gotten them through.

Until next time.... stay tuned, spread the word, and count your blessings everyday.

-Zac's Aunt Court

Update

I wanted to share a note from my sister that she posted on Facebook today. It's one thing to have me tell everyone thanks, but it's different coming from her. I know that it is a heart felt thank you. I hope you enjoy reading it.
To my sister I want to say No thanks was needed. We all did this because we wanted to. I enjoyed it and have learned a lot through it. Keep your head up and keep pushing on. We may not understand why Zac is going through this, but there is a reason. I love you guys and will continue to "be in your corner".


Well, I've let a litte over a week pass since the benefit, in hopes with coming up with some wonderful, eloquent words to thank everybody, but for once in my life I'm at a loss for words. We have been so blessed, in awe of, & overwhelmed by the amount of support from everyone. It seemed fitting that my "thank you" should follow suit in that magnitude, but I just can't come up with anything more grandiloquent than a good 'ol, bottom of the heart THANK YOU! You may think it's cheesy, insincere, lazy, or whatever other synonym you want to come up with, but all I can tell you is, it is what it is....Thanks, thanksgiving, from the most unpretentious place in my heart. I type this with tears streaming down my face....and y'all know I don't let them roll often. We are humbled by your outpouring of love, care, and generosity. Thank you for loving. Thank you for supporting. Thank you for praying. Thank you for giving. Thank you for coming. Thank your for sacrificing a day for our family. The list goes on. Thank you!
I know that the "main event" is over, but this is just the beginning of yet another journey for our family. Our hopes and prayers are that Zac is made healthier by this surgery. However, it doesn't come without risks and new challenges. Please continue to lift us up in prayer. Although so grateful and indebted, no amount of money or number of benefits can replace the power of prayer. I firmly believe it has gotten us through each day of the last 4 years. We are able to cope and parent a special needs child because of prayer. There are books, articles, other people's advice, but it's the divine guidance from the Lord that we rely and depend on. We pray, but sometimes we get tired and weary and that's where the power of your prayer manifests. We're able to push through a difficult time because of you praying. You are our Aaron and Hur, thank you. (Exodus 17:12)
There are so many people and businesses we want to thank for making Seize a Cure for Zac Benefit such a special day for our family. For the event organizers, I'll start with my dear friend Alicia. This was her brainchild. Having the generous heart she has, she saw a need and reached out to our family. From there she reached out to other friends of ours and family to make this a multi-event benefit. Thank you to Karen for organizing the poker run, BBQ, and silent auction. When I list it out like that, it makes it seem like you didn't do much, but you were there, everyday, helping plan the ins and outs and sort out the details. Your passion and determination to help our family is truly amazing and I am proud to call you friend. To a young man that captured my heart and gave me another reason to love being an Ag teacher- building relationships.....Keegan. Thank you for loving me and my family and taking your passion for vehicles and using it as an avenue to help us. Organinzing such an event is an arduous task and you did a wonderful job! Thank you also for securing some big ticket items for auction. You're a talented young man and the future holds great things for you! Next, my sister in law, Angie. Officially, I have to thank you for organizing the 5K, but we're family so there's many other things we're grateful for in addition. Thank you for being an integral part of our day from the 5K to manning the bounceys! Most of all, I'd just like to say I'm proud to call you sister in law and I love you! Last, but certainly not least, my sister Courtney. You did so much to help make this day possible. Securing vendors, Facebook PR, the blog, and probably a whole lot more that I don't know about because you were always careful "not to bother or stress me with the details". Thank you for knowing how important it is to us that people are knowlegable about Epilepsy. I just want you to know I'm proud that you're my sister....and I think I have to best one in the world! Thank you for always being in our corner. I love you!!
Now for everyone else, I fear, no, I KNOW I will leave someone out, so I apologize in advance. Thank you for making June 18, 2011 a special day for Zac and our family: Sunnyside Grocery, Mac's Grill, The Garden Patch, Monkey Mac Boutique, Ransom Note Gifts, Jinger's Showcase, 5 Star Tire & Auto, Piggly Wiggly of Thomaston, Sidney Lee, Allied Amusements, Taylor-Foster Rentals, Phil Johnston, Downey's Trees, Teal's Recycling, Ideal Amusements Inc., Stockbridge Army-Navy Store, Due South Band, Triple Threat, Orignal Cover, UGA Athletics, Pike Depot, Xtreme Rider, Sugarland, R&D Music, Zac Brown Band, Chris Moss, Hunter Price, Premier Machine, Southern Luxury, Quad Graphics, Brad Fallin, & Julie and Danny Bishop. We appreciate how you've helped our family and are grateful for your support!
Check out the pics from the event on my page. Please continue to pray and stay in touch: FB at Seize a Cure for Zac and www.allforzac.blogspot.com.

Until next time.... spread the word, stay tuned, and count your blessings everyday.

Thank You!

I wanted to say "Thank You" to everyone that helped with or came to Seize a Cure for Zac on Saturday. It was amazing! Zac seemed to have a great time. The Poker Run was a huge success as was the 5k. There were children running around having a great time playing games, riding the rides, jumping, eating, dancing, and of course enjoying the dunking booth.

To me that's what it's all about! All of the musicians and the dj did a great job. I had to leave at 4pm to get my 12 month old baby, but from what I have heard and seen, the car show had a great turn out and was a huge success as well. There is nothing more moving than community coming together to help each other.
It made me smile to see some of my sister's life long friends there to support her. To Becky, Alan, and her "bro" Bobby, you guys are the best! Friends like you are few and far in-between. We also had a few other "J-town" people come out. Thank you guys for making that drive.
Zac is blessed with a great support system from his family. I'm so glad that his "Pop" was able to be there.

I had a little project that I meant to bring and give to Zac on Saturday. But, in true Courtney fashion I left it at home. In my defense, Zac had been at my house last week and I hid my "project" in the attic. Why the attic? I couldn't put it in a closet or under a bed with Zac and D around. They spend most of their time in costumes playing in the oddest places. The attic seemed like the safest place. I will be mailing it to Zac today though and will post pics as soon as he gets it.
I've said it a thousand times and will once again.... To Keegan, Angie, Karen, and Alicia... thank you just isn't enough. Thank you for loving my nephew enough to take your time, energy, and money to make a difference in his life.
I will keep the Seize a Cure for Zac page up on Facebook for a while to keep everyone updated on his progress. I will continue the blog with the hope of spreading epilepsy awareness.
To Zac, I love you big bunches little buddy! God is doing big things with you. Be brave and keep smiling. :)

Until next time.... spread the word, stay tuned, and count your blessings everyday.

-Zac's Aunt Court

Friday's Fact Final Week

This is kind of a sad Friday's Fact and a happy one all at the same time. I may post more Friday's Facts as I discover more about epilepsy, but probably not every Friday like I have been. It's a happy week because tomorrow is Seize a Cure for Zac!!! There are so many people that have worked really hard on Seize a Cure for Zac. Alicia, Karen, Keegan, and Angie have all done more than I ever could have. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.
I think I'll do an overview today. I've tried to cover a lot on Friday's Fact without overwhelming myself and everyone else. Some of the information may have already been posted and if so, I apologize.
Here's a few epilepsy facts for you.
-Epilepsy is a neurological condition that from time to time produces disturbances in the normal electrical functions of the brain.
-Seizures are a symptom of Epilepsy
-Neurologists, pediatric neurologists, pediatricians, internists and family physicians all provide treatment for epilepsy.
-Epilepsy is NOT contagious.
-In about 7 out of 10 people with epilepsy, no cause can be found.
-The doctor's main tool in diagnosing epilepsy is medical history. Another main tool is an EEG. CT's or MRI's may be used to search for growths or scars. PET imaging is used to identify areas of the brain that are producing seizures.
-A person with epilepsy can help to control their seizures by taking medications as prescribed, regular sleep cycles, avoiding stress, and working with their doctor.
-Epilepsy may be treated with drugs, surgery, diet, or an implanted device refered to as VNS therapy.
Thanks again to everyone that has taken their time and money to help us find a cure for Zac. I want to thank everyone that has kept up with my little old blog. I can't help but think that Zac's illness has a purpose. Maybe my blog is a part of that. I feel like I don't do enough. I live in a different town with 3 children of my own and like everyone else, life gets crazy sometimes. To my sister, my brother in-law, and my nephew, I love you guys. I look forward to seeing everyone come together tomorrow in Zac's honor and hope it will be the start to finding a cure for him.
Until next time.... spread the word, stay tuned, and count your blessings everyday.

-Zac's Aunt Court

Treasure

I wanted to post a quick post. I have had the pleasure to spend the past few days with my nephew Zac. It's been a while since he's spent the night, much less more than one. Somehow they always "forget" his meds.. ;) Maybe they don't want me to "worry" with him in the night... idk. Reguardless, I got some long overdue "Zac time".
I am the type of woman that doesn't need much. No fancy house or car. No $50 makeup. No $400 purse. Just my family and good times. That is what I truely treasure. I have laughed so hard these past few days that my stomach hurts. Let's face it, my tummy could've used it anyway. Zac and my oldest child Dustin are only 8 months apart. They say that they are "brothas from anotha motha". And they truely are. They are two peas in a pod. I've had two batmen/hunters/whatever their imagination could drum up running around in both store bought and homemade costumes for days. Yes, Halloween is all year with these two. We've even figured out a way of making bedtime a fun time when Zac is here. We drag our matress and all the camping gear into the living room and "camp out". Works pretty good. I can keep an eye on him without him realizing it.
My middle child and Zac don't see "eye to eye" as well though. They are both type A people. But they even managed to get along @ Noah's Ark while D was at tutoring today.

I guess my point is that sometimes we all get so caught up in his illness that we forget what a treasure Zac is. It's those silly moments that epilepsy can't take away.
I look forward to many more memories with that crazy child. I hope you'll come out to Seize a Cure for Zac on June 18th in Thomaston for a day of food and fun to help us find a cure for Zac so he can have many more carefree years. As usual, I'll post Friday's Fact for y'all tom!!
Until next time... spread the word, stay tuned, and count your blessings everyday.

-Zac's Aunt Court