Hannah is my only daughter and firstborn. She is the light of my life. Hannah was diagnosed with epilepsy in February 2023 during her junior year of high school. We were told that everything was under control and that she should be able to live a normal life.
Hannah had big dreams. She wanted to be a psychologist and work at a juvenile detention center. She believed that everyone deserves a second chance. Unfortunately, she didn’t get hers.
On April 12th, I was waiting for Hannah and my husband to come home for the weekend. Instead, I received the worst news any parent could ever hear. Hannah was 19, just four weeks away from finishing her freshman year at George Mason University. My husband had moved with her and rented an apartment close to campus.
That morning, he came home from work as usual to pick her up and head back for the weekend. He found our baby, stiff on the bathroom floor. He called 911 and attempted CPR, but my baby was already gone.
To say I am broken is an understatement. I feel guilty to breathe this air without her. Hannah was my whole world. No one had ever talked to us about the risks. I hadn’t even heard of SUDEP until after Hannah passed.
I pray that no parent ever has to feel this pain—it is unbearable. I started a petition to require more education about all the risks associated with epilepsy. Hannah and other kids deserve better. They may be just numbers to others, but to us, they are our whole life.