Tara’s Embrace story - A young mother with epilepsy has a new sense of independence

Having epilepsy and being a parent to a toddler has its own unique set of challenges. There’s the risk of having a seizure while the child is alone, and doesn’t know what’s happening, or what to do. Extra precautions may have to be taken while feeding or holding the little one, so they stay safe should an emergency occur. Then there’s the additional task of managing seizures, visits to the doctor, etc., while looking after your child’s needs, and providing everything they need physically and emotionally.

Tara Davy shares her epilepsy story with us, and how she has been able to manage her condition while taking care of her 3-year old. She discovered Embrace while looking for something to help with her seizures so she could spend some more time with her son. Since she started wearing it, she has gained greater insights into her sleep patterns, as well as a complete record of her seizures that she can easily share with her doctor. These things have given her greater independence, and have even helped her go back to work.

Her story

My name is Tara, I’m 24 and I’ve had epilepsy for 8 years. I was diagnosed after having a brain aneurysm removed at 16. I was working at the time when I collapsed having my first seizure. Neither of my parents knew what was going on and I was rushed to the hospital after my seizure lasted beyond 20 minutes. As a result of this, I was put on various tablets and was told I couldn’t work anymore and needed 24/7 care. I was having seizures up to 40 times a week and hurting myself during sleep. I had to change my eating habits and everyday lifestyle.

How I came across Embrace

I was on Facebook one day begging for help to find something that could let someone know when I was having a seizure so I didn’t have to do it alone at night. A friend tagged me on a post for the Embrace watch by Empatica and my life changed instantly. I had a son 3 years ago and I couldn’t spend time on my own with him. Every second with him, someone else had to be there. Now I can have him on my own and not have to worry that he’ll be on his own when I’m having a seizure. I can see through the phone app my seizures throughout the night, so I decided to change my sleep pattern and I’m now not fitting half as much.

It detected one of my seizures recently - I was at home with my son and I collapsed to the floor. The next thing I remember is that I woke up to my auntie and paramedics. Through the Embrace they could see that I had been having the seizure for 13 minutes because the Embrace alerted my caregivers when it started. This helped the paramedics out so much knowing what had happened.

What I’m looking forward to

Now that I have better control of my health, I can focus on my aspirations of opening my own bar. My passion now is to open my own bar, before there was no way I could do it. I wouldn’t be able to keep track of my health while trying to open a new business. Now I can see on a journal (the Mate App, a companion app for Embrace) my sleep and rest patterns. My life has changed completely. I go out on my own now; spend time with my son on my own, and now work full time with no worries. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t stopped having seizures but I don’t have as many, and help can come a lot quicker than before.

I would recommend this to anyone and everyone. I know this will help you as much as it helps me.

More Embrace Stories will be published soon! To share yours, feel free to write to us at support@empatica.com or post your story on Facebook or Instagram by tagging our page (respectively @Empatica on FB, @empatica_wearables on IG) or the hashtag #EmbraceWatch.

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