The Most Heartbreaking 99% Graphic You Will See This Week

I read this article and it reminded me of a family I encountered when I worked as School Nurse in a middle school.  One of my students was a brittle epileptic (that means his epilepsy wasn't easily controlled with meds.)  Because of this, he had frequent seizures.

 I would be called to the classroom.  Anyone who is or knows anyone who is epileptic knows how to handle the situation and it is frightening but as long as the person doesn't harm themselves falling or cease to breathe, the event comes and goes.  All you can do is protect, wait and watch.  So, in an interrupted classroom, I would take the time to teach the teacher and the kids about what they saw and what to do if they ever encountered someone having a seizure.

One of the things I applaud most about my Nursing School experience is that we were told that it is my responsibility to take every opportunity afforded to me to teach.  It never ceases to amaze me how willingly people will believe falsehoods about how their body functions.  Its the responsibility of every health care professional to give people the facts.  But, I digress...

Back to my story.  In the course of these events, I would have to contact the Mom.  Just as it was my responsibility to teach the children, so it was to teach this Mom.  I learned that she was a single mother, living on Welfare, but now that her son was really doing better, she was in school to learn to be a hair dresser.  She  even had a job lined up for when she completed her training.  She was full of hope for their future.  She would get off welfare and make a good life for herself and her son.

Long story short, as I mentioned, controlling his epilepsy was a problem.  The usual meds in the usual dosages didn't do the job for him.  His seizures were so frequent and so severe that he often required hospitalization to get his seizures under control.

His Mom graduated.  Everyone celebrated until we learned that outside the system she could not get the meds her son needed.  Her only option to take care of him was to turn down the job and stay in the system.  There is no provision in public assistance programs to help people reemerge into the world.  You're either in or you're not.