It was a Night of Miracles our first fundraiser here in Southwest Florida could not have been more successful! It was a great night for baseball but also for Epilepsy because we were able to share the stories, struggles and facts about what life truly is like for those that live with Epilepsy. I want to thank the Miracle Organization for their support for our children and families in the community who battle seizures on a daily basis. Without the support of outstanding organizations such as the Miracle none of this would have even been possible. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown out by 5-year-old Gavin Lawrey he was amazing and a little ham but I could not have been happier or more proud to watch this little boy have a dream come true. Gavin is the son of my friend Brandi our Director of Fundraising, Gavin has Mitochondrial Disease and one of the side effects is epilepsy.

Mitochondrial diseases result from failures of the mitochondria, specialized compartments present in every cell of the body except red blood cells. Mitochondria are responsible for creating more than 90% of the energy needed by the body to sustain life and support growth. When they fail, less and less energy is generated within the cell. Cell injury and even cell death follow. If this process is repeated throughout the body, whole systems begin to fail, and the life of the person in whom this is happening is severely compromised. The disease primarily affects children, but adult onset is becoming more and more common.

Diseases of the mitochondria appear to cause the most damage to cells of the brain, heart, liver, skeletal muscles, kidney and the endocrine and respiratory systems. Depending on which cells are affected, symptoms may include loss of motor control, muscle weakness and pain, gastrointestinal disorders and swallowing difficulties, poor growth, cardiac disease, liver disease, diabetes, respiratory complications, seizures, visual/hearing problems, lactic acidosis, developmental delays and susceptibility to infection.

Gavin is the sweetest and most loving little boy I know, he has a personality that is just so upbeat and joyful and he likes to tell you like it is a little like me perhaps that is why I love him so. The Night with the Miracle was not so much about the foundation as it was about the Children. Children like Gavin and all my kids who suffer from epilepsy and seizures we were raising funds for them so that we can give our community and it’s children and families the best Epilepsy Monitoring Unit and Resource Center there is why because it’s a medical necessity in Southwest Florida. We don’t have one and right now for parents having to drive to Miami, or Tampa, sometimes Gainseville to see a specialist or epileptologist to me is totally unacceptable and quite frankly ridiculous when we have a perfectly good healthcare system in our own backyard. We need to utilize the phenomenal system we have and there is this saying “If you build it they will come” so the Epilepsy Warriors Foundation is going to see to it that it gets done. There is no greater service than serving others.

Last night was about raising awareness, spreading awareness and we reached people of all ages what surprised me most were the kids that stopped now grant it some of it was probably the cool looking water bottles and purple bandanas and bags we gave out but they gladly took brochures when asked if they knew what epilepsy was. It starts with them and hopefully leads to a conversation with their parents. It was about sharing the facts, educating and that we accomplished with quite a few people. It was about letting parents and the community know that they have options, they have support, that they are never alone. It was about doing something wonderful, so that people may imitate it meaning sharing the facts and educating someone they know.

When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance and he has done that with me in a very big way. In this world it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich. I feel like the richest women in the world right now and that is a great feeling. No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else. Our length of life should be measured not by the number of years but by the number of right actions we do.  Miracles started on that field last night and the hand of God was in it like us he is in it to win it, to have us tell our story give our testimony if that is what you wish to call it but whatever it is he wants you to do just do it for the greater good. Life is an exciting business, and I feel it’s most exciting when it is lived for others and not for ourselves.

I did a recent interview for our local newspaper and they asked me “Why I do this” well it’s simple the children, the families I am tired of burying children watching family, friends homes become broken enough is enough we lose too many and we should be able to stop this. We live in the 21st Century, one of the richest countries in the world and yet we still are fighting for the freedom from epilepsy and diseases. It’s time to come together as a country, the world and make a change, get things done, talk about it everyday to someone and ask them to pass along it starts with us. It’s time for the legislators and representatives of our government to realize that yes we have a debt crisis but cutting funding for health care and childhood or adult diseases is not the route to go, cut the things we really truly don’t need and keep the ones that can improve not only quality of lives but all our lives and how we live. Time to grow up and put up in Washington. God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.

As I said in my Websites bio I am striving to reach as many people within the local communities to help educate and bring an end to the stigma of Epilepsy.  It takes team work. It involves supporting each other in all efforts. It means showing the world that Epilepsy is worth researching, fighting for, and funding. We are all fighting for a CURE for our children and those “Living with Epilepsy” every day.  We are a new foundation one with a passionate vision. This vision will light our path, and guide us towards our goals of “enlightening, empowering and curing.” I want to be that light and I want our light the light of our children to shine brightly. If you don’t believe in Miracles than you should have been at Hammond Stadium last night because our kids and our community gave us a miracle last night.

I would like to thank the countless people from my team who gave of their time and efforts to help make this fundraiser be the success it was. Thank you to Brandi Lawrey, Keri Seligman, Gloria Aparicio, Rosie Eggars, Paige Canfield, Dr. Colon and Dr. Phillipps, families and friends whom came out in support. To Terry Simon from the miracle organization for helping put together an amazing night. Last night we proved we are WARRIOR STRONG!

To my e-family thank you for the love and support you not only share but give me and the foundation.

God Bless You All!