Seizures in a Failed State

This is an excerpt from a letter I received today from the mother of a child with epilepsy in the Middle East.  Despite the differences in our cultures, she faces many of the same problems that parents of children with epilepsy face in the US

“We live in _____ and unfortunately here is not good for treatment [of epilepsy]. My daughter…have had seizure and no one can control. All the doctor here told us that we cannot do anything for her and, she had seizure too, and all the time she was sleep, then we decided to go out to [Europe for treatment].”

“Now she is 4.5 years old but she can not walk and talk yet. After these 4 years now I think her progress is more better now she can sit. But now she become more heavy and it is very difficult for me to pick her up and go to physiotherapy. Now I took her to these class 4 times a week, but it is really difficult to move her. ”

“In _____ it is not good vehicles for their treatment. For example I ask friend in America to bring her standing table. But now in this bad situation of politic that we are in, it is very difficult to get more from abroad. We decided if we could get visa bring her to U.S.A but I do not know How much it will be the cost. Her progress in ______ is very slowly.”