US & THEM

I often see other children at therapy and think how lucky we are. I realize that my child has seizures and it has slowed down her cognitive abilities and her speech, but she's never... well on second thought let's not get into the things that haven't happened. I'm not superstitious but it's my kid!
To look at her she looks like a normal kid. Whenever we're out there's always someone who says "Hi what's your name?" or something like that and I have to answer for her.
What those people just said to her doesn't compute in her head yet. There are times someone says hello to her and she replies "NO". At least I don't have to answer for her then!
When she was a baby, well before the seizures ,when people would come up and talk to her she'd scrunch up her face and blow razzberries at them! That was funny!
Last time we were in the hospital I had her out walking in the hall. Her head was all wrapped up with gauze, the leads to the EEG hanging like a pony tail and me trying to hold the box that they plug into. A woman passed us in the hall and smiled sadly at Naomi and I saw it in her face. WE were the family that she was glad she wasn't! I wanted to chase her down the hall and explain how this wasn't what it looked like, this wasn't that bad. Then I realized... this ISN'T that bad.
Had Naomi had these problems in certain other states, other countries she wouldn't have received the care she has. The great neurologist, the wonderful therapist, all those great nurses who've cared for her.
I never knew it, but the man we buy cars from, (Dave Z, Spurgeon Chevrolet, Wooster Ohio!) has a daughter who has seizures. I found this out when I was over getting an oil change last year and we started talking. Naomi was with me and he asked how she'd been and I explained she had started having seizures. He asked what med she was on then went on to tell me his daughter has had seizures for over 20 years. At 18 months she was bit by a mosquito and got a fever and encephalitis and has never been the same "a little mosquito caused all these problems" he said. But he sincerely looked at me and said "It'll be fine". His daughter still just drops to the floor several times a day. It was so nice to talk to someone who's been where we are. Someone who knows the stress of all this and the worries of what happens next.
I just hope one day, 20 years from now our story can be a comfort to someone who's going through this. Actually! Strike that! I hope 20 years from now there will be a definitive cure for seizures!