Some dates attach themselves to your heart forever. For our family, that date is March 1, 2025. In the middle of the night, our seven-year-old son, Bash, had his first seizure.
The rest of that day is a blur, but one thing stands out with absolute clarity: our community showed up. They called, checked in, and brought food. To this day, that is exactly what they have continued to do for our family as we have navigated a year of immense hardships.
Bash was the first to be diagnosed with GRIA3. Since then, four of my other boys have also tested positive. Soon, they will be testing my daughters to see if they are carriers, as well as my last son. Together, Silas (11), Sebastian (7), Alex (6), Theo (5), and Olly (4) face these challenges—two experience seizures, and they all have developmental delays and autism. But we know one thing for certain: GRIA3 does not define us.
To care for our family, I recently stepped away from my full-time position. Moving from two incomes to one puts a lot of pressure on my husband, and today, I want to say how incredibly grateful I am for him. Through it all, he remains fully present and an amazing father.
We are so thankful for everyone who has been in our corner, prayed for us, loved us, and been there for our kids. This road is a long one, but we are deeply grateful that we are not navigating it alone.
