Douglas student to have brain surgery

EDITOR:

Hello, my name is Marlene and I would like to introduce you to my son, Jesse Buchanan, a 16-year-old sophomore at Douglas High School.

We moved here in 2000 and have loved our community and all it has to offer from the moment we arrived. While in the sixth grade, Jesse started on what I am calling Jesse's journey. He began dropping things, falling down and giving us a blank stare. I thought he was just going through an awkward stage and pre-teen stuff.

On Christmas Eve 2005, we realized he wasn't messing around, that something was really wrong. I agreed to call the doctor the following week and see what we could find. Well, Jesse beat me to it. He had a grand mal seizure that night. Until that moment, I had never experienced true fear.

After rushing him to the hospital and running tests, we figured out what was wrong. Jesse has epilepsy. This is a seizure disorder that has brief interruptions in the electrical activity in the brain. This can cause anything from brief staring spells to full body convulsions. Unfortunately, he has no warning or knowledge when a seizure is coming on. He has hundreds of seizures a day. Some are so brief you normally don't even notice them, but they are severe enough to disrupt his ability to learn in school and participate in some activities.

We have taken Jesse to several doctors since he was first diagnosed. He has taken many different types of medicines that are very expensive, sometimes with scary side effects and unfortunately, most haven't been very successful. We recently began a long commute to UC Davis in Sacramento and have been given amazing news. There is a surgery that can make his seizures possibly go away or at least make them manageable. This opportunity has come about as a result of many tests that have not always been pleasant for Jesse.

He is truly an amazing young man. This is where I am appealing to my community for help. Jesse is going to have surgery done on his brain in the fall. They will remove the tissue that is causing his seizures. This will require him to miss several months of school and he will have to have someone with him at all times.

Our health insurance covers a portion of the procedure, but not all of it. We will have to drive to UC Davis often to do several more tests and pre-op work. He will be admitted as a patient for anywhere from 14 days to a month, followed by approximately two months of recovery.

I am hoping you can assist us in some way. We are seeking everything from monetary assistance to items for fundraisers. It has been difficult as Nevada has next to no assistance for epilepsy. I have seen our community come together and I am praying that you will for Jesse.

If you could help in any way, we would be grateful. If you would like additional information please contact me at (775) 690-3235. We would be more than happy to discuss any part of Jesse's Journey with you.

An account under Jesse Buchanan is set up at Bank of America: 501007299274.

Marlene Collins

Gardnerville