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Haleigh's Story Part 2
March 1, 2009 |
It was a moment Haleigh Vadala’s family will never forget. During a typical day
at tae kwon do, the seven year old, holding a glass of water, simply collapses.
“When I first had a seizure, when I was mediating, I had my eyes open,” says Haleigh.
When Haleigh failed to respond, she was rushed to the hospital and her brain waves
were then evaluated. It was soon determined that Haleigh was having absence seizures.
Dr. Jose Colon, a Pediatric Neurologist with Lee Memorial Health System, says, “One
of the ways we can induce them is to have a patient hyperventilate. And it’s a little
difficult to tell a kid to breathe in and out very fast so we have them blow on
a pinwheel and watch what happens.”
Colon adds, “In taking a look at her brain waves during this you can see how she
had this, with a normal type of brain wave activity over here, as opposed to all
of a sudden over here.”
Dr. Colon was able to treat Haleigh with anti-seizure medication and since that
time her seizures have virtually been eliminated. “I feel good when I take my pills,”
says Haleigh.
Dr. Colon adds, “With the absence epilepsy, these are frequent childhood seizures.
They’re called childhood because eventually you do grow out of them.” Most children
can discontinue anti-seizure medications under a doctor’s supervision, after they’ve
been seizure-free for two years.
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