My son, Matthew Reyes, was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was three and a half months old. To control his seizures, Matthew tried 11 different medications and was placed on the ketogenic diet. Unfortunately, none were successful in minimizing his seizures on a daily basis. This is called intractable epilepsy.
If I can characterize our son’s journey, I would call it a roller coaster of emotions. Fortunately, along this tough and bumpy road, we have had the privilege to have Dr. Trevor Resnick, pediatric neurologist, and others that work alongside him at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to help Matthew.
On November 12, 2020, Matthew underwent brain surgery as our last resort to help minimize his seizure activity.
Dr. Shelly Wang, pediatric neurosurgeon, performed an operation involves removal of Matthew’s left frontal lobe and disconnection of the anterior corpus callosum. We went in fully understanding this procedure may only provide a 60 to 70 percent chance of seizure reduction.
However, as of his seventh post-operative day, Matthew has had little to no seizure activity. Although he has a long road to recovery, he is already back to being his joyful self with and is sharing his infectious smile with all those who meet him.
I honestly cannot put into words my gratitude for everything Dr. Shelly Wang, Dr. Trevor Resnick and all those at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital have done for Matthew and our entire family. We truly believe our prayers led us to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and we will be forever grateful for Matthew’s entire team of specialists. God bless them all!
Sincerely,
Melissa
