Shortly after our daughter’s birth, we learned she had suffered a stroke. By seven months, she developed infantile spasms, and by age three, she was facing focal seizures that failed multiple medications. Our journey took us from UCLA to the University of Chicago for a laser corpus callosotomy, and finally back to UCLA for a functional hemispherectomy. Despite a later complication with hydrocephalus that required an ETV/CPC procedure, she is now three years seizure-free.

I became a parent supporter because I know firsthand how epilepsy can take over a family’s life. Before surgery, we lived in a constant state of emergency, managing fatigue, planning every second around seizure risks, and never sleeping through the night. Now that we’ve reclaimed our normalcy, I want to help other families move out of that ‘surviving’ stage.

I’m currently pursuing my Master’s in Social Work at USC, and I’m passionate about being a present, nonjudgmental listener. I believe there is no single ‘right’ answer in this journey; I simply want to support families through the complexities I’ve faced, from navigating failed surgeries and traveling for care to winning difficult IEP battles. I’m here to offer the empathetic, lived-experience support that was so vital to my own family’s healing.

Languages spoken: English