Today is the Day

My son has been seizure free since Christmas 2013, that's 6 months!

When he was first diagnosed with epilepsy October 31, 2013, he was told by his neurologist that he cannot do ANYTHING until he had been seizure free for six months.  Then we were given a 2 page list of activities that are "not allowed" including bathing, swimming, camping, hiking, sports, bike riding, climbing.

He was told the only thing he was allowed to do during that 6 months is school work (but no P.E.) and learn piano.  He wasn't to participate in physical activities at all.  This greatly upset him, and us.  We're talking about an 11 (now 12) year old boy who is highly active.  He goes camping with boy scouts, he climbs trees, rides his bike, swims, plays soccer.  We kept him as calm as possible until January when he got the invitation to play soccer.  We discussed it with the nurse at his neurology office and although the Doctor said not to allow physical activity, the nurse said that as long as he is taking his medicine faithfully and remains seizure free, he can do some things (like play soccer) under supervision.  We signed him up for soccer, we allowed him to go to the local indoor pool, as long as he stayed with his dad and myself.  We allowed him to go camping, his scout master, and patrol leader are both paramedic's.  He was in good hands.  He's been allowed to ride his bike while taking the trash out or checking the mail.

Finally, he hasn't had a seizure in 6 months.  We're having a party for him on Saturday.  We've invited everyone who has prayed for him, done anything for him, supported us during this journey.  We're having a barbecue, and cupcakes.  The first major accomplishment for someone with epilepsy deserves a party.

Do you know someone with epilepsy?  What kind of things do you do to support them?

Reading Rescue 1-2-3

I am so excited, I found my READING RESCUE 1-2-3 book this morning.  This is amazing since I have 3 children in my home who could use a little boost in their reading skills.  We are homeschoolers, and I have used this book to help my son in the past.  The book got misplaced, and I haven't seen it in a couple of years actually.  We are babysitting my niece this summer, and she desperately needs summer school help with reading and spelling.  So I was looking through some of my homeschool resources this morning, and found the Reading Rescue 1-2-3 manual.

My son is 12, going into 6th grade.  My 5 year old granddaughter lives with us and she's going to be in Kindergarten this year.  In the Reading Rescue 1-2-3 book, I've learned that Level 1 readers need to learn the alphabet and sounds.  Sounds perfect for teaching a kindergartener to me!  My niece is 8, going into 3rd grade, and needs a lot of help with reading and spelling before school starts again.  She goes to public school, so I need to work my magic before school starts in August.

Stay tuned for updates on how the kids are doing using this program throughout the summer.  Have you ever been so excited to find a book?  Leave me a comment talking about your great find!