San Joaquin Magazine December

Page 52

JAYDEN'S JOURNEY Would you do whatever it takes to ease your child’s suffering?

 BY LINDSEY RODRIAN / D

DAN HOOD (RIGHT)

Jason David’s son, Jayden, was diagnosed as an infant with Dravet Syndrome, a rare form of life-long epilepsy categorized by frequent and prolonged high-intensity seizures that are often drug-resistant. Even so, by his fifth birthday, doctors had prescribed Jayden 22 anti-seizure pills per day that left him nearly immobilized. Still, Jayden continued to experience multiple daily grand mal seizures lasting over an hour that caused violent muscle contractions and temporary loss of consciousness. He also experienced less severe myoclonic seizures consistently throughout the day. As a father, Jason felt defeated, having held his convulsing son countless times since his first seizure when he was just a tiny and perfect four-month-old boy.

52

SAN JOAQUIN MAGAZINE

| DECEMBER 2019


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