Epilepsy Chronicles

New Link!

I've got a mail from a nice girl that directed me to her site, just to check it out a bit (using the propaganda campaign we all like to use on our mail signatures), and quite astonishing the site isn't that bad at all. Sure, it's on Geocities and the design could be a bit better but all in all, not so bad.

Check it out, a site about Duchess - Seizure Alert Dog

Jurica

Wonderful News!

As I've read on BBC News Health, scientists have discovered the gene they believe plays a key role in triggering epilepsy in young people. Dr Guy Rouleau and colleagues at McGill University Health Centre Research Institute in Montreal, Canada, found that mutations in the gene GABRA could cause juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). This is one of the "classical" epilepsy syndromes and typically begins in early adolescence. Classical epilepsies affect an estimated 0.4% of the population and JME accounts for a quarter of those. The researchers identified the gene by carrying out a study on a unique French-Canadian family.

Genetic screening

They screened 14 members of the family and found identical mutations of the GABRA gene in the eight people who have JME. The six family members who do not have the condition did not carry the mutation.

They believe the mutations in this gene are significant factors in determining whether an individual is at risk of JME. The gene plays a key role in the transmission of signals in the brain. David Chadwick, professor of neurology at Liverpool University, welcomed the findings but said they could not be applied to the general population as a whole.

Speaking to BBC News Online, Professor Chadwick said: "With the advent of the human genome map, we are going to be in a position to find out really quickly how this might be applied to the general population. "Up until now we have understood very little about the mechanisms that lead people to have epilepsy. "The better we understand it the more accurately we can target therapies. All of these findings will have clinical implications in the future."

Now, what have I said not a few days ago? They already found gene that's causing epilepsy in dogs and they're close in finding one that causes it in humans. Scientists are discovering new ways to cure illness, and it's only a mater of time they find a genome that's causing epilepsy. One day, I honestly believe it, epilepsy could be prevented before one's birth.

Jurica

Do you believe in miracles?

Well, I do. Yesterday, I ate a whole bunch of green vegetables, mostly broccoli and it's other green vege relatives combined in a salad, and something miraculous happened! Today, when I forgot to take my medicine on time, I didn't have a seizure, as I sometimes do as a friendly reminder to take the pills from my brain. But, from the "Controlling Seizures" study on the complex partial epilepsy, it is proven that vitamin E can reduce number of seizures in general, and there is a lot of vitamin E in green vegetables, cereals and nuts. I started to eat cereals for breakfast, and they've proven much efficient in my reducing seizures, but now even green vegetables can do the same! Well, one thing is sure. I'll try to become a vegetarian, or at least at as much as possible green vegetables as possible!

Yours truly,

Jurica

Every dog training organization charges it's own price for training these special dog for us. So with that in mind we need to find ways to raise the money.
Most of us to do not have a few of thousand dollars right at hand when we need it. Sometimes we have to come up with ways to raise the money.

Now you must understand, I have not even sold one girl scout cookie or anything in my life. So this was a very new challenge. I found when asking for a donation a letter with the information on what I was there for helped. Who I was, what happened to me or why I need the dog, (you don't have to say this if you don't want to). Than I talked about what the dog will do for me. I gave them a brochure from the organization that is training my dog so they could learn more about the dogs and the organization. The could also call them and ask questions.

I enjoyed doing this because I was not only getting donations but educating people at the same time about something they might not know about. Try not to be discouraged when someone says NO.Thank them anyway and leave the literature. I had a few call back a few days later after reading it to donate but most of all have fun.

Now here are a few ideas The most important thing is to remember to ask for help from friends, neighbors, and family. Sometimes this is to much to handle for one person.

If you have any other ideas please email me and share them with me. I will be happy to put them in the article to help others.

We put a story in the newspaper about
# 3. I made a form letter and went to most of the business's in my town and asked for a donation or if I could put up a can on the counter. The letter works great because they can see that it is real, now a days people are leery of helping. I also took with me a copy of the flyer from the organization. Also if they do not want to give money that is Ok ask than if they would donate a prize. Maybe they could donate a free pizza, a free dinner, or a few games of blowing, Etc. Than have a raffle.
You can find raffle tickets at party or stationary stores.

Grocery stores like to help with free dog food. They will offer the broken bags and dented cans.
# 4 My Mother talked to our Church about what happened and they got real involved. The Church donated $200.00. The the kids can have a car wash and bake sale. The Church can hold a Rummage sale with all items donated from people from the Church or you and your family can as well.

One Aunt made copies of the newspaper story and sent them to a few relatives with instruction to please pass it on to others in the family.

6 You can also ask places of business for a donation of prize instead of money and hold a raffle. You can even go to a stationary store and see if they will donate the tickets or give you a discount on them.

I: E A couple of games of bowling, A Pizza, A free dinner for two, a grocery card, hair cut etc. You can check with a travel agent to see if they could get you a good price on an open trip or cruise.

#7 Call local TV and see if they wont do a story on you.

9 If you or a loved works see if they wont sponsor something or even get the employees to donate or help. Maybe even with just babysitting the kids or staying with your wife while you are out doing fundraising things.

Hold a Golf tournament or explain to a golf course and they may hold one for you. As for prizes you can again ask business to donate prizes see # 4. Just say you are holding a Golf tournaments and why.

11. Hold your own bake sale, garage sale, car wash, pet wash, Don’t forget to buy cases of pop and chips etc at a club store and sell them there for a little mark up.

Also you can have a auction with friends and family donating old things they don't use or get prizes and again sell hot dogs etc Don't forget to sell door prize tickets too.

A friend did this. McDonalds they let me hold a "burger bash" Also try other restaurants and see if they too own let you do something like this.

You pack the house with business...you get 10% of the sales from all sales...drive thru too! I invited every one...left flyers at churches and businesses....all sales count, they don't have to say that they are there for you.


13, Krispey Kreme Donuts has 3 ways to fund raise. Ask at a location near you and their restaurants They have a fundraising program. earn 405 profit on every product sold. 800-351-1533 These are coupon books. 16. Publish your own cookbook ask family and friends to donate recipes. http://www.moriscookbooks.com">www.moriscookbooks.com 16. Calendars and cookbooks for sale. These are from Reminisce magazine. Box 905 Greendale, WI 53129

Put fundraising into a web search like http://www.dogpile.com

I've just found out that scientists have now identified a genetic mutation responsible for epilepsy in dogs. With this information, they have also developed a test that can determine whether a dog has the mutation. The research also shows that studying dog genes can be useful for understanding human diseases because of the way that dogs are bred, some dog versions of diseases can be more common in certain breeds and easier to study than they are in humans.

The dogs have small seizures that make their teeth chatter and their eyes blink rapidly, and sometimes they grand mals that make them unconscious for short periods of time. Hannes Lohi of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada and his colleagues figured out that the Dachshunds had a form of epilepsy that's called "Lafora disease" in humans.

Now, these researches may help in extracting the "epilepsy gene" within the dog's DNA, and maybe one day, scientists could do the same with human DNA; they could cure epilepsy before the child is even born! Naturally, a time is needed to improve our technique and to build up our knowledge about the DNA and the effects on human health that each of the gene code has, but if you look back 50 or so years in the past, you'll see how much the technology has advanced.

A trace of hope glimpse in our eyes...

Visit Dog Epilepsy Gene to find out more on the upcoming discoveries of curing dog, as well as human epilepsy.

Jurica

Since I've been on a long journey yesterday, I had a lot of time to think about my life, during the long ride on the bus and on the train. Recently, a doctor whom I know has passed away, in his 46th year of life. He had a cancer for over a year and has been struggling with it, knowing all the time that one day, he will die.

Now, how can my problems with epilepsy be any worse than this death? Just the thought makes you wonder, maybe even feel better that you're alive but in the end, I realized how lucky I am to walk, talk and breathe freely among the people I love.

Jurica