Movement Monitors for Epilepsy Patients in Need

Greetings!  We are so grateful for your support and wanted to show you some of Chelsea's good work.  Your support means the world to us and to those we serve!

We thought you might enjoy seeing this darling video created by the sister of one of our recent recipients.   Click here to meet Yalianna and Ethan.

Meet Matty, one of our most recent Monitor Recipients.

Maddy is an easy-going, pragmatic and "don't worry about a problem before you have it" kind of kid.  That is how her Mom, Lisa, described her 16-year old daughter before their world changed in July of 2017 when she had her first seizure while away at a Young Life camp for teens.

At home Maddy's world had become a danger zone for her; as she was having more tonic clonic seizures.  Every hard surface, counter, and everything in between would become a hazzard and it was hard to know when a seizure would strike.  An ambulatory EEG was done that captured a seizure while Maddy was on FaceTime with a friend.  When she came out of her seizure, she said her head felt huge and she was dizzy.  It was at that moment that her family realized that she had been having seizures in the mornings and during sleep that they didn't know about.  This is what set them on their journey to find monitoring devices and lead them to CHF.

They went to the neurologist the following morning. The EEG was reviewed and Maddy was diagnosed with Myoclonic Juvenile epilepsy. From there they began their medication journey one that would change their lives even more. Maddy, a straight A student began to have memory problems, was writing letters backwards and her personality was changing to where she didn't even recognize herself; this affected her deeply and caused great concern for her parents.  In December, her medication was changed and things are much better now. Maddy's mood has stabilized and seizures have been kept at bay.

Maddy has been in competitive cheerleading for 10 years and most recently a varsity cheerleader for her high school. After having to give up so much, Maddy's parents decided she did not have to give up her love of cheerleading. Her high school teammates and coaches make sure she is safe and they have a seizure emergency plan in place for her. Cheering and competing with her team is the one place where Maddy, even for a few hours, can just be a regular teenage girl and not have to worry about her epilepsy. Maddy was recently awarded the Falcon Award by her coach. This is an award that is given to a team member who displays outstanding character, not only some of the time, but all the time.   Whether on the mat, in the classroom or just every day, Maddy would simply show up each day with a smile and positive can-do attitude.   Maddy wants others with Epilepsy to keep fighting, chase the fear and continue to do what makes their heart happy. 

Maddy is a recipient of the Emfit MM and Smartwatch monitor by Smart-Monitor granted by CHF.  Maddy's family loves the security and relief they feel having the Emfit MM at night and Smartwatch during the day when they can't be with her. They state it has given her some freedom and confidence back. 

SAMiAlert Monitor, Night-time Monitoring Device

SAMi® is a sleep activity monitor for caregivers and individuals who need to watch carefully for unusual movements at night. During sleep, audio-video information from a remote infrared video camera is sent to an app that runs on an iOS device such as an iPhone or iPod Touch. The SAMi app records and analyzes the video for unusual activity. When an unusual event is detected, it sounds an alarm and records live audio and video from the SAMi network camera. Within seconds, the individual or caregiver can take any necessary action.

Recent Testimonials

"I am a RN and was searching... surfing... one nigh, desperate to find answers for our teenage son when the good Lord took me to “Chelsea”.......I had already emailed Domesti-PUPS without going back to their site...... then The Chelsea Hutchison Foundation (CHF) responded right back to me! I could not believe someone sooo busy took the time to respond and kept writing me.  I learned more in a couple emails than I have in 4 years!! And then I saw CHF on Domesti-PUPS website!! The good Lord was moving all the pieces in place!! We are soooo grateful to CHF and Chelsea will now be in our hearts always and forever too....."  (soon to be seizure-response service dog grant recipient).

"This foundation was built on tears and an abundance of love. It's more than apparent. The love and compassion they show from the second you write them is instantaneous. Thank you so much for all you have done for our family. I hope to be a huge part of this amazing organization. I never expected what I received and I'm in awe. From the bottom of our hearts thank you for the huge piece of mind you have given us." (recent monitor recipient)

The Chelsea Hutchison Foundation is a Colorado nonprofit corporation formed to provide help and support to individuals, particularly children and young adults, who have epilepsy. Chelsea touched many lives during her short 16 years here, and we are amazed at how many people she continues to touch through the foundation even after her passing.  Her generous heart longed to see love and care come to others.

In her memory, The Chelsea Hutchison Foundation is designed to assist people living with epilepsy.  Funds raised by this foundation provide grants for fully trained seizure-response dogs and for, what we believe to be, life-saving movement monitors to those in need.  We educate the public about SUDEP (Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy) and provide support to those who have been affected by SUDEP.  The Chelsea Hutchison Foundation exists to raise awareness of SUDEP and to grant comfort, hope, and positivity to individuals and families living with epilepsy. 

To date, The Chelsea Hutchison Foundation has had the privilege of providing 107 seizure-response dog grants and has provided over 530 nighttime and daytime movement monitors for those in need.  We have awarded 44 families with wish trips to the one-of-a-kind Epilepsy Awareness Expo and Day at Disneyland. The Expo offers a wealth of information and exposure to professionals, treatment options, education, and hope.

Links:

• Meet Yalianna and Ethan!
• STOMP Out Epilepsy and SUDEP Awareness Walk