Home Hi! My name is Taylor Gude and I am in kindergarten at Northside Elementary School here in Nebraska City. I want to tell you a little bit about myself and my medical condition. When I was six months old, I began having seizures for no known reason. I was diagnosed by numerous doctors as having epilepsy - a seizure disorder that I have to take medicine for four times a day. When I was three years old. my seizures began to get worse and worse and were much more frequent. I spent many, many days at Children's Hospital in Omaha, NE trying to get help, but the medical staff there could not seem to help me. After numerous attempts to get this condition under control, I was referred to the Minneapolis Epilepsy Center in St. Paul, MN. I had to ride in an ambulance all the way from Omaha to St. Paul!! While I was in Minnesota, they attached wires all over my head to monitor my brain and to see if they could help my seizures. They finally did surgery on my brain to try and correct my condition. They really helped me alot, but I had a long way to go. After two more brain surgeries, they implanted a device in my chest to try and help me. This has also helped me alot but I still have seizures that just happen. They are terrible. I jerk and shake uncontrollably and when they are finally over I feel very tired. My mom and dad continue to research for ways to help me. My mom found out about a new treatment being offered in China - stem cell treatment. Stem cells are put into my body to repair the area in my brain that causes my seizures. My mom and I went to China for this treatment last December and it really has helped me and we want to go back in June. However, it is very expensive - and my parents health insurance company does not cover any of the expenses involved with this treatment. Could you help me in some small way? I would really appreciate any efforts you could do for me. I so much want to be a healthy child like all of you are - and I think this may be the one thing that can provide this for me. Thank you for your understanding and for anything you can help me with. Love,
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