Hello, my name is Brandi Larson. The little boy pictured is my son Eli. Eli has always been a very normal, happy little boy, but one day our family’s life changed in what we thought was going to never go back to normal. Eli started having seizures, and the more days that went by, the worse the situation became. Our whole family was frightened beyond any words would ever explain and could not imagine why this was happening to our sweet Eli. We are located in northern Minnesota, where finding a good hospital with the right technology and compatible Dr.’s for this situation was hard to come by, so we were referred to The Epilepsy Group in St. Eli had to be admitted twice to the Children’s Hospital in St. Each landed a one week stay to get his seizures under control. My life had changed, and all that my family knew is that we had to be strong and get through this for Eli. That was Eli’s diagnosis. One word that overcame my life as all I did was read and study and educate myself on what I needed to do to make this easier. The nervousness that the seizures would never get better and the worry of the medications being dumped into my son’s body was all we could think about. After all the questions and worries, feeling like we were always in a hospital, and medicine changes, the one thing that I thought wouldn’t happen did. It got better. Our family could breathe and feel like our life was somewhat normal again. Eli’s Epilepsy Project came to my mind one day as I was sitting there watching Eli play and watching the glow of happiness on his face. I know that without the help of the doctors and nurses at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul, that the happiness and being back to normal as much as possible still may not exist. Eli always is wanting to make sure that everyone else knows how much he loves them, and that if something is wrong that they are okay. I also know that he would want every child in that hospital to be better as fast as they can and to give them a hug if possible. So, from now on Eli’s Epilepsy project will exist. With the help of my community and the people that we love, there have been donations made to create a “goodie bag” for kids to shed a little bit of happiness into their hospital room. We just want to let you know that someone just like you and your family, has been through a situation like yours , and we want you to know that it will get better. In these bags is a fleece tie blanket and a stuffed animal for a child to hold onto and cuddle, and a coloring book and crayons to color to get their mind off things. I hope that this brings as much joy to you as it has making these for myself and my family. I also hope that your days get easier and that you can get back into the normal routine of life. From my family to yours, you are in our thoughts. Also, always remember that you are loved and that there is love and support around every corner, even when you may not know it. Love the Larsons,
Brandi, Ryan & Eli Ray
