Morgan Cormick:
"My name is Morgan Cormick and my little epilepsy warrior is Daphne. She is now 3 years old.
My little angel Daphne started having seizures before she turned one but they were in her sleep. We had no idea what was happening to our princess, she had completely lost the ability to speak and was constantly miserable and clingy.
It was not until she started having infantile spasms multiple times a day that I knew there was something serious happening. (Completely unaware of what they were at the time).
Before I knew it I was holding my blue, lifeless baby after she had has a tonic clonic seizure. I panicked and thankfully living next door to a doctors practice, ran in screaming with Daphne in my arms “help she’s not breathing” (I am almost certain when I recreate that moment in my head I knocked down a line on old people or something completely dramatic).
It was the single outstanding worst day of my whole entire life. That moment was more painful than any physical harm I have ever encountered. I thought she was gone. My angel was gone and it was unbearable.
Luckily the amazing team at the doctors office and paramedics were very helpful and kept us safe and calmed me down. Showing my her signs of life and monitoring her closely.
We were in hospital for 5 night following that where Daphne was diagnosed with epilepsy and sent home on medication. This did not stop the seizures. It was months of medication increases and a strong course of steroids which left her a bloated round vegetable, until they finally stopped. At which point poor Daphne was so incredibly miserable yet hyperactive and sleep deprived from the side effects of her medication that her development was not progressing in the slightest. She would not eat (after she came off the steroid) was not sleeping, was not interested in play, she was just a miserable grouch. I knew it was not in her nature to behave as she did there for we had a medication change which immediately changed her. She started speaking again (with the help of weekly speech therapy) she took interest in all her old favourite games and toys and our little girl was back!
Daphne was 7 month seizure free until she sadly had 3 in one day recently. I know it is a long battle and has been an exhausting one thus far, but when I think of all she has endured, the pain, the frustration of not being able to voice to anyone or understand why life was so difficult (she was only 2 years old!!), I am able to take a deep breathe and do what ever she needs.
The costs of speech therapy, medications, strain on our relationship as parents and all the rest of the costs that come with epilepsy are every bit worth it. She is the most inspiring human I know and her smile and incredible cheeky little personality sparkles so brightly that all our struggles and confusion can be put aside until our quiet moments when she is sleeping. Because whatever pain and pressure we are feeling is nothing compared to what she endures every day.
Here are some photos of my girl in her bad times and her good 😊
Thank you for reading our story."