Suck Feizures? Get the Shirt and Help Vanderbilt University Find a Cure

Suck Feizures? That sounds a bit odd, does it not? Well it should, but its an obvious play on words, when you reverse the "S" and the "F", and put them in those spots. Too strong? Well, if it is I do apologize, but do not expect any sympathy towards seizures, or the pain they have brought to so many. The idea for the words "Suck Feizures", is a play on my old "Yuck the Fankees," joke, in reference to the New York Yankees. To those who follow the team, I am a proud member of Red Sox Nation, and have endured eighty six years of pain. Actually, I didn't go quite through that, but I was in my thirties before I got to see the Sox win. And to be honest, I thought it was a dream, and bought several newspapers the next day to confirm it. To my 'friends' who wear pinstripes, you have plenty of rings, so please accept this as a treaty of sorts.

It does not matter if you are a fan of the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees, even though Red Sox fans have more class :). You could be a Washington Redskins fan, or a Dallas Cowboys fan, and yet have something in common. Sure, we get riled up about sports, and that's a wonderful thing. I make no bones about it, that I've almost myself gotten into fights at a hockey game, even though I wasn't on the ice. A side note-there's a joke I like, that a co-worker says about hockey. "I went to a fight, and a hockey game broke out."  That's actually true in many cases. Fight. A fight doesn't have to be with punches, kicks, and well placed elbow slams to various points of ones body. It does not need anger either, although when anger is used productively, it can be a powerful force.

Yet nothing trumps love, and you can fight with it. This does not make you a wimp either, as love is so powerful, that no one or nothing can touch it. No one can take away your love, unless you choose to allow it to be removed. Until my very last day on this Earth, until my very last breath, no one can take away the love I have for my son Tommy. He passed away November 4th 2009, and it has been a journey that I would not wish on a worst enemy, if I had one. Yet I am comforted knowing that he's being cared for by God. It cuts you down to the core, the pain that you'll experience with the loss of a child. I hope you will understand that this is not a callous statement, but children do die everyday. Children also have seizures everyday, that greatly affect their quality of life, and these as per Tommy's case, can be lethal.

I'm a simple man. At work I wear a nametag and boots, and my acaademic interests other than reading, are enjoying the great outdoors. While I may do well on Jeopardy, I am not going to ever go to Harvard, unless walking by it, and I will never be a doctor unless dressed up as one on Halloween. That is fine, but I do believe that each person, regardless of background has the ability to connect with others and do something. It doesn't mean strength or perfection, but rather what we were put here on Earth to do, and I plan on doing it. A cure must be found for seizures. I will not be the one who makes the discovery, and frankly, I don't give a damn. Yet what I do care about, is being able to be a catalyst of sorts, and so many are already doing this right as this is being typed or you are reading it.

How can you help make seizures a menace of the past? Simple. Go to Vanderbilt Kennedy Center's Angelman Seizure Project. There you can see what the research team has been able to accomplish, and what is just around the corner. Educate yourself on what they are doing, and spread the word. If someone brings up seizures or anything related to them, tell them about Vanderbilt University's efforts. Are you thinking "Angelman Research?" If so, it is related to those who have Angelman Syndrome and the seizures associated with them, but this work can branch out to help others that have other medical conditions. You can also join the efforts, by talking to the folks at the University, and bringing them into your houses of worship or businesses. We are all affected by seizures, whether we experience them ourselves, or love someone dealing with an epilepsy related condition.

There's a very simple way to help. Go to http://www.angelsonearth.net/Tommy-Collection.html. Order yourself a shirt from AOE-Angels on Earth. Each one of these shirts sold helps Vanderbilt University's Seizure Research Project, and they look really cool. I've ordered one, and the owner of the company is a wonderful angel mom named Kelly. She is completely reputable, and a courageous and decent lady, who's inspired so many. Become a fan of AOE on Facebook also, because she has other excellent quality merchandise, that can help your family out. Yet I do hope you will consider wearing a shirt dedicated to Tommy, and all other angels who've lost their lives far too early to seizures. There are angels right now, fighting for their lives, and even those who don't go home to God early, are being affected by seizures. To see a happy angel, who's got a smile and laughter that can light up a room, be knocked around by seizures, is a stark contrast that you simply cannot miss. That is why it is imperative that we find a cure for these seizures, that cause them to suffer, along with those who love them so much.