Well, tonight I will be on Inside Edition along with my parents and older brother, Brian. It was twenty years ago that I appeared on the very first show. You know how everyone wants their few minutes of fame? I felt so sorry for my brother - he really didn't want to be on TV but he did it for me. I now know that he truly does love me! My parents weren't sure if they wanted me to be on TV after twenty years but I was soooo excited. After all, if I can use my life's struggles to make even one person feel better about their struggles - then I am happy. The first show was nearly twenty minutes long but this one will only be about a minute. April Woodard was the interviewer, Paulie was the camera person, and Tony was the audio person. They were at my house for hours and they could not have been nicer! When I was seven years old I had a hemispherectomy - the only option (at that time) for a horrible disease called Rasmussen's Encephalitis. The disease reared it's ugly head when I was into my third week of kindergarten at the same school where I am now an assistant kindergarten teacher. I fell off of a seesaw. At that time everyone thought that the fall caused the seizure but we now think that the seizure may have caused the fall. In the school nurse's office, I had a grand mal seizure - I was aware and even reached my left arm out for my mom when she arrived. My mom took me to my doctor's office who immediately called an ambulance. Dr. Nelson Walker has been a long time family friend who is always there for me. After a day of tests which included a cat scan, blood work, and observations, my parents were told that I was born with cerebral palsy because of atrophy in the left side of my brain. They sent me home with a low dose of phenobarbital to control seizures but said that I may not have another seizure. (Well off to school - more later)
Dear Beth,
ReplyDeleteWe are so happy for you. Our daughter Kelly was one of you room mates at Hopkins. Kelly just had a shunt done. Your parents were so wonderful. They would read and talk to you everyday and every night while you were in your comma. They had a great deal of faith in you and Dr. Carson. It was funny how they gave you a different name in the movie.
Take Care,
The Powell's