HEMICON 2017

     I don't want to let too much time pass before I share about our trip to Orlando for the 2017 Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Conference and Family Reunion.  Not that I could forget a single moment of it. You see, this is the one time each year that we are together with people who understand EXACTLY what Life After a Miracle truly is.  They are living it too.

     Angela could not wait to get to Orlando to see her special friend, Levon.  This is what their reunion looked like:

It was so good to see the two of them together.  Levon underwent a Right Hemispherectomy and Angie's surgery was a Left Hemispherectomy so we joke that they are a matched set.  They have a unique friendship and it warms my heart to know she has friends who truly get her.  We were all pretty excited to get to the conference and see this too:

 The kids loved watching other families take photos in front of their poster.  We felt honored that Angela's picture was on the poster this year.  The conference sessions were "top notch"-to borrow one of Angela's favorite phrases- and I gained a lot of new knowledge.  I can't fit it all in here but one of the things I did not know is that children lose some function on their "good" side after hemispherectomy surgery.  I had no idea!  That fact came from my friend Monika, who is brilliant and who led the Brain 101 session.  I also learned volumes about IEPs and writing ambitious goals.  Oh dear, give this girl a little more knowledge and she might become dangerous!

The conference ended with a wonderful Pirate Party, complete with disco dancing.  Yep. This 80's girl was in her element.  We had so much fun!!

 It was hard for Angela to say "See You Soon" to her friend Levon, and new friend, Lola whom we had the pleasure of meeting this year.  The three were pretty inseparable the entire time and they had loads of fun.

Throughout the conference, Toby and I repeatedly told each other how grateful we are for the work of the Brain Recovery Project.  I cannot say it enough.  The BRP provides advocacy, resources, and research to families whose children have experienced brain surgery for the treatment of epilepsy.  They work tirelessly while caring for their own children and attending the endless appointments that are the result of our children's circumstances.  We would be floundering without this work.

We ended our time in Orlando with a trip to Disney World but that will have to be saved for another day soon.