The Galisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida is opening a new epilepsy monitoring unit to help reduce the risks and raise awareness for Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy.
SUDEP is the most common cause of death in epilepsy. However, many families who have loved ones with epilepsy have never even heard of it.
20-year-old Michael Martinez was a young man just starting his life. His mother Sherry Meade said that he was a perfectly healthy child until one day, when he began shaking violently.
"I didn't know if he had been dabbling in drugs or anything," Meade said.
Sherry immediately scheduled a doctor's appointment.
She said doctors saw that he had abnormal brain waves in his brain and that caused him to have seizures.
Michael was diagnosed with epilepsy. For a year Sherry took care of Michael when he had seizures.
"I said Michael have you ever been scared? and he said "No mom! I never know I have them. You have to tell me about it when it's over," Meade explained.
The two had made plans one night to sleep in and run errands the next day.
"I hugged his neck and I kissed him and I said I love you son," Meade said.
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