Nancy Figueroa Writes

The inaugural meeting of Nights of Sharing was held last night at Epilepsy Toronto.The frigid temperatures and the ill health of some children meant it was a small--but mighty--group with lots of time to ask questions and share stories. Richard and I were happy to spearhead the group and to share our 30-year journey of raising a child with drug resistant epilepsy. From the feedback we received parents with recently diagnosed children are eager to learn from the wisdom of parents who've gone before them. I guess that makes us the old parents and they the young parents ! Still, we who've been through it want to offer guidance and share what we've learned on what is a difficult--sometimes horrible--journey. I've even been asked if we could videotape the sessions so that parents from outside Toronto can participate. Sometimes I forget how lucky we are to live in a large city with lots of resources. One young Mom came from Niagara. I'm so glad the meeting was helpfu...

Do you have a child with drug-resistant epilepsy? Do not feel alone!  For the first time ever, Epilepsy Toronto is offering  Nights of Sharing , a four-part series aimed at bringing parents of children with uncontrolled seizures together to share, connect, empower and learn. The series is lead by parents, for parents. Richard and I spearheaded the series along with Epilepsy Toronto social worker Katie Armstrong. We were at the Epilepsy Toronto Annual Meeting in May when a parent asked about support groups for parents of children with drug-resistant epilepsy. There wasn't one. So, I approached ET about starting a group. I'll never forget how much support, knowledge and encouragement I got from the Bloorview Group many years ago when my son was young and seizing daily. Now that James is seizure-free it’s time to give-back by helping parents who are where we once were. And so, after meetings and great direction from  Katie, Nights of Sharing was realized. Some...