The Journey We Are On.....

When I started this blog I don't think that I could have imagined a time would come in which months would go by without me writing. However, that is what has happened. So much has changed over the last almost eight years since Ethan's birth and subsequent diagnosis with PBD-ZSD, yet at the same time so much hasn't. Unlike parents of typically developing children we find ourselves still parenting a child with complex medical needs who's developmental skills range anywhere from 9 to 18 months. Ethan still has PBD-ZSD, and right now his uncontrollable seizures are a major issue. We still fight PBD-ZSD the best we can each day with a basket full of medications and supplements and other medical interventions (feeding tube, cochlear implant, AFOs, etc), numerous therapies, school (which Ethan loves), and prayer. We advocate for him and all children and families impacted by PBD-ZSD and related peroxisomal disorders through our involvement in the Global Foundation for Perox...

October 5 th is a special day for our family as we celebrate #PauseForPBD , the annual awareness day for The Global Foundation for Peroxisomal Disorders (GFPD) . [Jeff's birthday also happens to be October 5th but he doesn't seem to mind sharing it with #PauseForPBD day.] Our son, Ethan, is 7 years old and is one of less than 200 children, known to the GFPD, living worldwide with Peroxisome Biogenesis Disorder (PBD).  Ethan has a contagious smile and laugh, despite the fact that PBD has caused him to have severe cognitive and physical delays. Peroxisome Biogenesis Disorder (also known as Zellweger Spectrum Disorder), is a rare, genetic condition affecting multiple organ systems in the the body. PBD is generally fatal in childhood. As a parent, it is difficult to express the sense of loneliness and feelings of isolation that enter your life when your child has a rare genetic disease that most people have never heard or and has no cure. However, #PauseForPBD, is a d...

Ethan's been back on the full dose of Topamax for more than a week. Unfortunately, the seizures are still breaking through. I called the Epileptologist's office on Friday, and he instructed us to increase the Charlotte's Web from 9 drops twice a day to 12 drops twice a day for a week to see if that would help. If they are still breaking through we are then to increase the Charlotte's Web to 15 drops twice a day. Friday evening we began the increased dose. So, we'll know wait and see what happens. Friday we witnessed 4 seizures, Saturday we saw 2, and Sunday we have seen 2. Thankfully, they are all relatively short, just 5 to 10 seconds each, and so far they have not clustered, but it's still awful. I hate seizures. "Big sister" saw one Sunday, while we were all at the table for lunch, and was surprisingly calm about it. Sometimes it is hard to believe that she has only been in our home since June. She has become a tiny little advocate and ambassado...

Last Thursday we made the trek to Iowa City to see Ethan's epileptologist. We are very thankful that Dr. Ciliberto is part of Ethan's team. Not only is he a wonderful doctor who seems to truly love working with kids, his undergraduate degree is from the University of Illinois, Jeff's alma mater. Dr. Ciliberto was excited to see how well Ethan is doing and how alert he is no that he is no longer on phenobarbital. In terms of seizure control it has been a really good summer and fall for Ethan, since we added Charlotte's Web hemp oil to his regimen, got off of Banzel, and got off of phenobarbital. It is like our little boy woke up again. Which of course makes sense since some of most common side effects of phenobarbital are: sleepiness or fatigue, depression, dizziness, upset stomach, memory problems, and trouble paying attention. Since Ethan has been doing so wonderful, we talked with Dr. Ciliberto about the possibility of weaning Ethan off of Topamax as well to s...

Six years ago today (August 20, 2010) our lives were forever changed. On that day that our beautiful precious 28 day old son was diagnosed with PBD-ZSD (Peroxisomal Biogenesis Disorder-Zellweger Spectrum Disorder). It was the day that we learned of a disease that we wish to this day that we never had to find out about. I know I'm not the person --- the individual, the wife, the mother, the daughter, or the friend that I would have been if Ethan had been healthy. Most days I'm pretty sure I'm not a better person but rather a more bitter person because of the pain and suffering that comes along with a diagnosis like PBD-ZSD. I have read more about pain and suffering, the will of God, God's sovereignty, the brokenness of the world due to sin, and the trials of life than I think I ever would have otherwise. I do not doubt that God is ultimately in control, but I still hate the saying, "everything happens for a reason," and other cliches, many which are not Bib...

The thought that Ethan might sleep apnea was first brought up to us by a neurologist in December 2015 and was verified in February 2016 through a sleep study. On Tuesday, May 24th, Ethan finally had his tonsils and adenoids removed. The hope is that their removal will help decrease the sleep apnea which in turn should reduce the seizures, since almost all of Ethan's seizures are breaking through while he is sleeping.    On Tuesday morning we arrived at the hospital at about 5:15 am for the surgery that was scheduled for 8:00 am. We were taken up to the pediatric floor and from there we were taken down to the operating room. The surgery went smoothly and afterwards we were able to see him in recovery. Ethan was in recovery much longer than what is usual simply because there were no beds available for him on the Pediatrics Intensive Care Unit / Pediatrics Intermediate Care floor.  It was after noon before we were taken to a room and things seemed to be going...

We may hate PBD-ZSD but we love our GFPD family. The Global Foundation for Peroxisomal Disorders has truly become our second family. Check out this short video to meet some of the other families who, like us, have had their lives forever changed because of PBD-ZSD.  As of today, the GFPD only knows of 89 children in the U.S. who are living with PBD-ZSD. It is estimated that approximately 80 children are born with PBD-ZSD each year in the U.S. and approximately half of these children will not survive past their first birthday. We are passionate about raising awareness and funds for research because we pray that a breakthrough will be discovered in Ethan's lifetime, but even if that doesn't happen we will keep fighting because this cause is so much bigger than just our family. In the next couple of weeks we will be sharing details about how you can get involved in our bowling and silent auction fundraising event that will be in September. Even if you aren't able to att...

Monday was Rare Disease Day. We celebrated Rare Disease Day with our first visit to a pediatric epileptologist (epilepsy specialist) at the University of Iowa, Dr. Ciliberto. Jeff and I liked the doctor and his team. He spent a lot of time with us and although he didn't have a magic solution, we were glad that we at least have a plan. Ethan is currently taking Keppra, Phenobarbital, and Topamax for his seizures and we have rectal Diazepam that we use as a rescue medication when needed. February was a difficult month and we have needed to use the Diazepam on multiple occasions. Due to a cancellation, Ethan was able to have his sleep study last week, which confirmed that he has mild sleep apnea, which could be contributing to the increase of seizures, especially while he is sleeping. While we don't enjoy the risks associated with surgery, we are working towards being able to schedule the removal of Ethan's tonsils and adenoids. The hope is that their removal may decrease...

The last week and a half have been stressful for us, filled with seizures, sickness, and doctor appointments. Wednesday, February 10th -- Ethan woke up crying and seizing. Jeff had not yet left for work so he helped me administer Ethan's rescue medication when the seizure clusters continued for more than five minutes. The diazepam worked, but it took about 8 minutes for the seizures to stop and for Ethan to fall asleep (a side effect of the medication). After we were sure that Ethan was safe Jeff went ahead and went to work. Ethan slept for a little bit and then was up and about playing, but was still pretty tired and not seeming to be 100% back to his normal. I called the pediatrician, to let her know that we had to use the diazepam and to see if we could bring Ethan in to make sure nothing else was going on. There weren't any appointments available for that day with our pediatrician, and while we could have seen another doctor in the practice, I decided it would be bette...

PBD-ZSD affects every child differently. In the first year of Ethan's life, when he was meeting a few of his gross milestones not all that far behind schedule we hoped and prayed that Ethan would end up developing the skills and abilities that would put him on the milder end of the spectrum of the disease. However, as he continued to fall further and further behind, develop additional health challenges, and faced multiple setbacks it became clear that Ethan's symptoms (or ability level) place him somewhere closer to the middle of the spectrum of severity for PBD-ZSD. Ethan will be 6 in July and while we are thrilled to say that Ethan can walk short distances independently, his balance and endurance continue to be a major issue. Since the return of the seizures late this past Fall, we have been fighting hard to keep the mobility that he has fought so hard to achieve.  One of the things that Ethan has been working on for months, both at school and at outpatient PT is ridi...

The end of January and the beginning of February have been marked by time with family, several doctor appointments and unfortunately more seizures. January 18th  It was Martin Luther King Jr. Day so Ethan didn't have school and Jeff had the day off from work. We spent the day as a family, and in the evening Ethan had a seizure that woke him from his sleep before we had transferred him to his bed.  January 20th We took Ethan to the dentist for his regularly scheduled cleaning. Ethan won't let us in his mouth to brush, so we have his teeth cleaned every 3 months instead of every six. As you might imagine, Ethan does not enjoy having his teeth cleaned. Jeff goes with us and sits in the chair with Ethan and I help hold him down/still while the dental hygienists work on our little guy. Thankfully, they are very good with him and let us dictate when Ethan needs a break. Ethan's dentist has shared with us that she has a brother (who is in his 30s now) with special need...