Backpacks for
Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a brain condition that causes repeated seizures that aren't brought on by something else, like a high fever or low blood sugar. A doctor usually diagnoses it after two or more unprovoked seizures. It can start at any age, and there are many different types. With the right treatment, which is often daily medicine, most people can control their seizures and live full, active lives.

A seizure is a sudden burst of electrical activity in the brain that briefly changes how a person moves, feels, or acts. Not every seizure looks like falling and shaking. Some look like a blank stare for a few seconds, a twitch in one arm or leg, a strange feeling, or a short spell of confusion. In kids, small seizures can be easy to miss or mistake for daydreaming.

An EEG (electroencephalogram) records the brain's electrical activity. A technician attaches small sensors called electrodes to the scalp with a sticky paste, and wires carry the signals to a computer. It doesn't hurt, and it only listens: no electricity goes into the brain. Doctors use EEGs to confirm epilepsy, figure out what type of seizures a child has, and see whether treatment is working.

Seizures don't happen on a schedule, and some show up mostly during sleep. An overnight (or longer) video EEG records brain activity and video at the same time, so doctors can see exactly what happens during an episode. That means a child stays hooked up to wires in a hospital bed, often for 24 hours or more, with a parent by their side. It's a long, boring, and sometimes scary stretch, which is where the backpacks come in.