Holly Taylor had a great childhood growing up. She was a fit and active child who enjoyed bike riding with friends, playing baseball, swimming, and spending time with her family. With her healthy start to life, her family had no reason to believe she would be at risk of any development issues.
Suddenly everything changed when Holly turned 12 and began experiencing grand-mal seizures, which cause a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions. The seizures came on quickly and were becoming a daily occurrence in Holly’s young life. Holly was in and out of emergency rooms and was prescribed numerous medications to help combat them. However, the intensity of her seizures increased over time leaving her immobilized and to unwell to see her friends. They were having a negative effect not only on Holly’s physical health, but also on her mental health. It was heartbreaking for Holly’s mother, Kim, to see her once healthy and outgoing daughter now suffering.
After years of unsuccessful medication trial and error, Holly’s doctor referred her to a seizure specialist at the University Hospital in London, Ontario where she was formally diagnosed with Primary Generalized Epilepsy – a neurological disorder where a person’s brain activity becomes abnormal causing seizures and loss of awareness. Armed with the correct medications to keep her seizures under control, Holly slowly began to regain control over her life. Kim was happy that her family and her daughter’s life was returning to a normal state, but she was concerned about what would happen if Holly experienced a seizure when she wasn’t available to help.
“I have health issues myself, and as a busy mother raising a family and working, I couldn't be with her all the time”, Kim said. She first heard about MedicAlert after reading an informational pamphlet at Holly’s specialists’ clinic.
“I loved what MedicAlert had to offer after reading about the service”, Kim said. “The MedicAlert ID allows anyone who Holly is with to know about her epilepsy and what allergies she has in case of an emergency.”
It’s now been ten years since Holly first signed up for MedicAlert. During this time she’s had her medical profile, along with her MedicAlert ID engraving updated to include new drug allergies she developed. Holly’s health has improved in leaps and bounds, and more recently, her doctor has approved her to go for her G2 driver’s license next year.
Holly’s mother is relieved with the peace of mind that MedicAlert has given to her and Holly.
“I breathe a bit better knowing that she wears a MedicAlert bracelet. Thank you MedicAlert. You have given her more freedom! Holly will take medication for the rest of her life, but you will always be with her for life.”
