A hospital visit brings back memories of a helping community
I recently had a visit at a Children’s hospital for the first time since losing Austen, my 9-year-old who passed away last year from complications of Dravet syndrome. While it was part of…

Meagan Earley lives in Paris, Texas, with her three children, dogs, cats, and a turtle named Carl. She is a preschool teacher and a caregiver to her daughter, Austen, who was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome in 2016. Meagan has relied on her village of other Dravet syndrome caregivers in the years since Austen’s diagnosis, and writes her column in the hope of paying it forward to other parents who are fighting each day to help their child thrive in all circumstances.
The back-to-school season looked a little different for my family this year. After losing my 9-year-old daughter, Austen, last year to complications of Dravet syndrome, I decided to take this year off…
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I recently had a visit at a Children’s hospital for the first time since losing Austen, my 9-year-old who passed away last year from complications of Dravet syndrome. While it was part of…
Our family packed up and moved from Texas to Colorado just weeks after Austen, my 9-year-old daughter who passed away last year from complications of Dravet syndrome, was diagnosed with the condition. She…
My late daughter, Austen, loved birthdays, even when they weren’t her own. She loved any opportunity for a celebration, cake, and presents. And hers or not, she was going to help open them.
It’s been one year since we lost Austen, my 9-year-old daughter who passed away due to complications of Dravet syndrome. One year without her kisses and her sweet voice asking if I need…
I went back to work a little over a month after losing Austen, my 9-year-old daughter who passed away from complications of Dravet syndrome. Many asked me how I could do it,…
This June, for Dravet Syndrome Awareness Month, many articles are going to give you statistics, numbers, and graphs that show how horrible this disease is. I want to paint you a different picture.
I made a deal with my late daughter, Austen, when she was just 1 year old. The deal was that she’d make it to 10. That was because she had Dravet syndrome, and…
I’ve known since I was a small child that whenever I pass, I want to go to a specific cemetery. It sounds odd, I know, but five generations of family ahead of me have…
When my daughter Austen passed away last summer, I honestly believed I wouldn’t be able to survive the pain. She was 9 years old, and I’d spent eight and a half of those years…
Yearbooks are like mirrors that give us a glimpse into the past. As a teacher, I love looking at them. During the school year, I’m so focused on the daily ins and outs of…
My family moved to Colorado when Austen, my daughter who last summer passed away at age 9 from complications of Dravet syndrome, was just a year old. We moved to get her access…
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