May we introduce you to some of our members? These stories will take you on a journey into the daily reality many parents, children, and adults face when dealing with epilepsy.
In these stories you will find courage, hope and strength. These people are why PEACE was founded.
Do you have a story to tell?
Meet Hunter The PEACE 2010 Hope Child of the Year
Hunter is a typical teenager in every way. He was recently hired at Food Giant as a courtesy clerk, plays phenomenal guitar, hangs out with friends, has a girlfriend, is active in YoungLife, wants to start horseback riding lessons, and is very excited about his senior year at Parkview. The ONLY thing he can’t do is drive, and he seems to have accepted this. Though he still hopes that one day he will be seizure-free, he doesn’t let epilepsy slow him down.
He made great grades last year, especially the last nine weeks, has a 2.72 GPA, and is a good student, despite the large doses of medications he takes every day. He plans to attend college at Pulaski Technical College and UALR when he graduates, majoring in Graphic Arts and minoring in Music. One of his greatest achievements is his math grade. When Hunter was 9 years old, we were told that because of his seizure focal point, he would always struggle with math, that he was in fact “math deficient”. But after a couple of years of hands-on learning at a local Motessori school and free tutoring in high school, he has maintained a B/C average in math throughout high school. He was very proud when he got his “Gold Card” for math proficiency at the end of his Freshman year. And he has gotten one every year since.
Hunter also went to YoungLife camp this summer in North Carolina. Though he has attended weekend church and YoungLife retreats, gone to week-long FernCliff camps in the summer and gone on several out-of-state church mission trips, this was the farthest and longest he had been away from home. Over the years, Hunter has established a close friendship with his YoungLife leader, so I felt a great deal more comfortable about him being away. In the middle of the week, Hunter woke up his leader and told him he needed his emergency Diastat. He had been having a cluster of seizures, so he knew it was time for the big meds. The camp Dr. gave him the Diastat that I had packed, and then Hunter was good to go for the rest of the week. He never skipped a beat. That’s how he is!
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Gabrielle, PEACE’s 2008 Hope Child of the Year, wins Expressions of Courage
Gabrielle’s piece is title “Emotions in Color.” The website, Expressions of Color has all of the winners.
http://www.expressionsofcourage.com
