Austen’s First Sleepover Was a Major Milestone
For so long, we avoided many things because of my daughter Austen’s seizures. We didn’t go on play dates, or to indoor playgrounds. We barely even went to…
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…
Read moreFor so long, we avoided many things because of my daughter Austen’s seizures. We didn’t go on play dates, or to indoor playgrounds. We barely even went to…
Author and relationship blogger Fawn Weaver said, “A great marriage isn’t something that just happens; it’s something that must be created.” According to the American Psychological Association, about 40-50% of marriages in…
When it comes to our journey with Dravet syndrome, my husband has always been the optimist among us. When our daughter Austen’s seizures kept coming in those first few months,…
I want to be a domestic goddess and have a home that’s pristinely clean whenever you open the door. I want a home that’s company-ready, whether you come through…
As a special needs mom, I know what it’s like for my child to feel left out. Even when we are invited to birthday parties, we often find ourselves declining.
Today, a memory popped up on my Facebook timeline from five years ago. It was a video of our little baby Austen, then 6 months old, bouncing in her jumper. I was…
For my husband and me, Christmas came early this year. Today, Dec. 22, marks four months of seizure freedom for our daughter, Austen. The only time she has ever gone this long…
When I started this job, I really thought I would be writing about seizures each week. So, I find it kind of baffling that I barely write about them at all anymore.
Tantrums in the grocery store when too many people are around. Biting friends and siblings when they don’t want to share their toys right away.
I come from a diverse Christian background. My mom is Mormon, while my dad was raised Episcopalian. I’ve dabbled with nondenominational, Baptist, and Pentecostal churches in my own search for what was…
Thanksgiving is one of my top two favorite holidays. But when I was a kid, my family did something at the Thanksgiving dinner table that I absolutely hated. It was a tradition…
Moms don’t get sick days. I remember my mom telling me that one day when I called in desperation. The Army had recently moved us to California for my…
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