A Maple Ridge family is asking for the community's help after their son started experiencing multiple daily seizures, which doctors are unable to diagnose.
Stepmom Kelsey Knowles appealed for help online, saying in the last four months they have watched her stepson's health, "decline at a rapid rate".
"He remains a medical mystery.. but it has gotten to the point that he is suffering multiple seizures daily," said Knowles, noting that her stepson often just sleeps now.
"He has lost some of his speech progress and has not been able to attend school in weeks. He has little interest in anything, even food.. and often just him getting up and to the table for a meal causes a seizure," she added, saying her stepson has become a zombie child.
Knowles is the stepmother of three special needs children, with varying needs.
Her stepson, she noted, has complex needs. He was born with a diaphragmatic hernia and placed in a coma for the first six months of his life.
Since then, she said, he has received about 15 health diagnosis that involved multiple surgeries including open heart surgery.
"We are constantly in and out of the hospital, working with specialists and advocating to keep our child alive and well," she said.
With this recent turn of event he was given a "light diagnosis" of autism related epilepsy. But doctors say his seizures are not typical of this condition, said Knowles. And, even though he is on the highest dose of seizure medications, the seizures continue to increase daily.
"He has had multiple scans and tests.. to no avail," said the desperate stepmom, noting that doctors are not sure on how else to help him.
Knowles started a GoFundMe because the situation is causing financial strain on the family. She is unable to work and is caring for their sick child and her husband's current job is not enough to cover the bills and the medical and prescription costs.
She is hoping to raise $15,000 to put towards their daily expenses and to put towards a change in career for her spouse to get his Class 1 driving license or haul truck operator certificate so that they can survive off of a single income.
As of Thursday morning, Feb. 20, the GoFundMe had raised $1,755 towards that goal.
To donate go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/strength-for-our-family-a-new-start-after-loss-and-injury.
