At last, spring is here. Its baby blue sky, sweet sun, and warmer temperatures fill us with joy and new ideas. We all have our own ways of enjoying the splendor of the season. It's a time of new beginnings, and time to start thinking sunny thoughts. It's important to remember that epilepsy doesn't have to stop you from doing what you desire and love. In case you need some inspiration to make the best of the season, we've asked some of our Embrace users and their caregivers what they're most looking forward to in the coming months.
Flowers in bloom
One of our sweetest and longest supporters, Patti Long, is planning on becoming a certified Master Gardener this year:
“I love to garden! This time of year is perfect for my perennials.”
Another green thumb, Janet Greene, Caregiver for her son Ryan, is also looking forward to tending her garden to add more color and fragrance to this beautiful season:
“What we're looking forward to for spring this year is planting our new vegetable garden! My son, Ryan, loves to work outside and to dig in the earth, and growing our own vegetables is a great way to get him to try new foods. We have a new raised-bed "farmyard" in our backyard and we're planning on trying to grow enough of our own vegetables that we can skip buying them at the store . We'll see… Getting lots of sunlight seems to decrease Ryan's seizure frequency as well, which is a wonderful bonus!”
Springing into action
Elaina Cione is one of our most vibrant and responsible supporters. At just 16, she's looking to teach others and raise awareness about epilepsy, among many other exciting activities she has planned for the season.
“I’m excited for this spring and have a few goals. First, I plan to host an event at my school for Epilepsy Awareness Day on March 26. I am very excited to get our new Bernadoodle puppy in late March from a breeder. And I'm going to prom with my date in late March. I have a big interest in acting and I'm part of my school's drama club. We are planning to put on a big play either at the end of the year or in this coming Fall.”
In case, you're also looking for ways to get involved for Epilepsy Awareness Day, you can share your story and experiences with epilepsy using the hashtag #myepilepsystory. Sharing your story promotes connection with other people that have epilepsy and helps those that don’t, better understand the condition.
New destinations and discoveries
Terri Ann is a Caregiver to her son Trever, who's in his last year of high school with many fun and exciting plans ahead.
“Trever and his brother Nathaniel will be traveling to Denmark in April as part of a program in their high school. Neither of them have even been on an airplane before and they are very excited for this trip! This spring will be a season of new things for Trever. He's a senior in high school and is anxiously awaiting to hear back from several colleges he applied to, and then make the decision on which one he wants to attend in the fall.”
Get outdoors
Jessica King, an Embrace user and mommy to a sweet little boy, lives in the Pacific Northwest and is surrounded by some of the most beautiful places to hike in the United States. She plans on seizing the warmer temperatures to do just that.
“I’m looking forward to hiking this spring! With the sun coming out, my son and I are ready to get out and explore nature every day. We’ve made a family goal to go on at least one hike a week to soak up all the fresh air and get some great exercise!”
Here, at Empatica, we're also very excited for the arrival of the new season. More sunshine means getting to enjoy nature more, and being able to make use of our outdoor patio where we eat lunch together. This patio is also the home of many beautiful plants that are generously tended to by one of our senior engineers. We're excited to see him in his element, and see the literal fruits of his passion start to bloom.
We're also looking forward to reading the results of our annual survey that we sent out about a week ago asking about your experience with epilepsy and Embrace. If you haven't had the chance to complete it and have around 15 minutes to spare, your help would be much appreciated. As a token of our gratitude, we're offering the chance to win one of 3 annual Standard subscription plans for everyone that participates and submits their email address at the end.
We hope that you enjoyed learning about what some of our supporters have in store for the upcoming season. We'd like to hear what you're looking forward to as well. Just email us at support@empatica.com to continue the conversation. Even though epilepsy may change your life, it doesn't have to stop you from enjoying it.
Embrace is a prescription-only medical device indicated as adjunct to seizure monitoring (subjects age 6 and up with epilepsy or at risk of epilepsy) in home or healthcare facilities during rest. Embrace detects patterns that may be associated with generalized tonic clonic seizures. For safety information, please refer to Embrace IFU.