Epilepsy & Hope

What does it mean to have hope?

According to Webster's Dictionary 1828

Hope - “A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety.”

I have so much hope. 

It might not sound like it from my previous post because I have been very frustrated with the medical care we received when we went to this new doctor. It also took the wind out of me to see her get worse instead of better and then for that doctor to just give up and say there isn't much left to do. 

So yes, for a few months I was knocked down but at my core I am a very hopeful person.

First of all I have hope that someday we will find the correct treatment for Rach. I hope that the treatment will help her be seizure free but even if it just helps her have more seizure free days that would be great!

I have hope that someday there will be better medical care for people with epilepsy. I know when I say that you probably think that there is already great medical care, especially here in the United States, but sadly that is not true. If you live in rural areas good medical care, especially with something like epilepsy, is very hard to find. 

I have hope that with the power of the internet and more people advocating that the stigmas that surround epilepsy will come to an end.

Again, when I talk of having hope I'm not just saying I have blind hope or that I'm wishing for these things to happen with no effort on my part, but I plan to fight and work to help them happen.

As the definition stated "Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of OBTAINING the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it."

You obtain something by a planned action and with effort. So I am making a plan of how I can make each hope I have a reality. 

Yes, I know I'm not a doctor, I'm not rich, and I'm not a person with a huge following on social media that can bring in tons of awareness. But I am a mother that loves her child with all my heart and I'm compassionate to the needs of others, I am a person that will give of what limited resources I have, and I'm a person that will talk wherever and whenever I can to anyone that will listen about epilepsy.

I may just be one little mama with a lot of hopes but I can make a difference. You can make a difference. And if we all pull together just imagine the difference we can all make.

One of my favorite quotes is by Mother Teresa. She said, "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."