St. Valentine: Patron Saint of Epilepsy

Immediately following Brady's brain injury he developed subclinical seizures that could only be detected through an EEG. Four weeks post injury he was diagnosed with infantile spasms and then later focal seizures as well. Infantile spasms are fairly rare and not a diagnosis that Brady's family was familiar with. Considered to be a catastrophic childhood epilepsy, these types of seizures will resolve themselves by age four, even without medical intervention. Unfortunately, the damage done in the meantime can have a lifetime of repercussions. While a child is experiencing infantile spasms his or her development is impaired and, for some children, regression can occur. The majority of children with an infantile spasm diagnosis will have a life long epilepsy disorder even after being spasm free following treatment. Infantile spasms was a tough diagnosis for Brady's parents and family to learn about but his prognosis remains the same in the hearts of those who love him: We will not know what Brady can do until he has the opportunity to show us. We are working on finding the right medical intervention that is just right for Brady. Perhaps a little prayer to St. Valentine will help things along.