How very true...

"Life is not what it's supposed to be.  It's what it is.  The way you cope with it is what makes the difference."

I think when you're dealing with anything that is difficult, it's natural to think, "This is NOT how it is supposed to be!!"  I know I'm guilty of it.  How often have I looked at Liz when she's had a seizure or she's in the hospital, and thought that very thing?  Too often...I can't help it sometimes.  I just want her to be healthy.

It has taken me a long time to come to terms with her diagnosis, and become proactive. I can't change the fact that she has seizures.  I'm just not that powerful.  What I can change is how I handle it, and what I do about it.  For me, I go into what I lovingly call, "Crisis Mode."  I handle the emergency as best as I can, and then when all is said and done, I cry.  Then we move on.

One of the reasons advocacy has become so important to me is that it is one of the ways I wage war against epilepsy.  If enough people know about it and understand it, if those people tell the government to spend more money on research or they donate their own money, then I've won.  I've slayed the dragon.

Epilepsy isn't going to ruin our lives.  It has tried over and over again.  It has tried to take away my daughter, but I refuse to give her up.  It can't have her.  She is the best gift I've ever been given, and I will do whatever it takes to keep her here with me.  It can't take away her quality of life.  It can't take away her smiles and her laugh.  It can't take away her love.  And every single one of those things is a victory.  Every time she smiles...every time she says, "I love you, mama"...it's a win.  We're winning our battle every single day.

Maybe our lives weren't supposed to be this way...maybe they were.  I'm not the one to make that call.  But you know what?  We're handling this, and we are absolutely making a difference.