Thank You, Colorado
In June 2016, I packed up my home in Texas, my three children, and my entire life, and moved 752 miles away to Colorado in search of hope. Hope that we could delay putting…
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.
None of my children are exactly alike, and I like it that way. Each has an individual, vibrant personality; while one might like theater, another favors video games. Siblings, whether they share the…
Read moreIn June 2016, I packed up my home in Texas, my three children, and my entire life, and moved 752 miles away to Colorado in search of hope. Hope that we could delay putting…
Our lives are changing, and this time, it isn’t due to the effects of Dravet syndrome. I have mostly been a stay-at-home mom for the last 11 years. I have a degree in elementary…
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. An entire day dedicated to food? That’s right up my alley. Usually, we stay home in Colorado to cook and relax as a nuclear family,…
After 20 months, the kids are returning to school. One of them, anyway. Originally, we were going to wait until all three kids had been fully vaccinated…
I’m the only person on my block who has their Christmas tree up, and I have zero shame about that. Usually, it goes up on Nov. 1, but this year, I managed to wait…
Twenty months. That’s how long it’s been since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. and I withdrew my kids from school. I was terrified for all three of them, but especially my daughter Austen,…
Austen, my 6-year-old daughter with Dravet syndrome, went to the neurologist at the end of September. It was the first time we’ve seen her in the office since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The…
Earlier this summer, my husband and I wrestled with the decision about whether to continue home schooling our kids for another year or send them back to regular school. It was a hard…
“Mom, how is rain made?” It was a simple question posed by the sweet, 3-year-old voice coming from the back seat of the car. This was a decade ago, and the question came from…
My daughter Austen’s first seizure was one of the worst nights of my life. She is 6 years old now, and has been diagnosed with Dravet syndrome for five. My heart still pounds…
Over the last year, we have pretty much kept our family in a constant state of quarantine, fearing what would happen if Austen, our 6-year-old with Dravet syndrome, caught the coronavirus. When something…
The previous weekend, I did something I haven’t done since March of last year: I woke up early, got all of the kids into the car, and headed to church. Truthfully, I had a…
Get regular updates to your inbox.