A Wonderful Home at The Meath
“I’ve lived at The Cottages since 2010. It’s a wonderful home, I’ve achieved and learned so much and I have so many friends here.”
For Regan, having supportive staff is just as important. She explained that the team, together with volunteers at the Skills Centre have encouraged her to do and achieve more.
Living with challenging medical conditions and unpredictable events which tragically exacerbated her epilepsy, is something that she has both endured and overcome. It is remarkable and wonderful that Regan is alive to share her story with us.
“I enjoy life now and at times I didn’t before. I’ve proved to myself that I can enjoy life.”
Developing Epilepsy in Early Childhood
The earlier chapters of Regan’s story are not for the faint of heart. Her epilepsy began when she was just two and a half years old. By the age of five, she lost the use of her right side and frequently went in and out of the hospital throughout her childhood. Sadly she was only able to attend school between the ages of 9 and 12.
To reduce her seizures, doctors performed a hemispherectomy, but a rare complication arose six years later, causing an infection in her brain. This led to the installation of a metal plate, but tragically, her seizures returned after the operation. Shortly after, Regan was involved in a serious car accident, which necessitated the removal of the metal plate. In another surgery, doctors took some of her rib bones to help reconstruct her skull.
Embracing Opportunities and Achieving Goals
Now in a happier chapter of her life, Regan’s epilepsy is better managed, but unfortunately, she still experiences seizures. She is grateful to be able to embrace the many opportunities that she has at The Meath. Regan feels a strong sense of ‘making up for lost time’ at school and really values the opportunities that she now enjoys. In many respects her life now resembles more of a sequel than a chapter of the same book. Looking back through her past, she explained that
“I never thought it would be possible to achieve the things I wanted to achieve in life, but now I can”.
Regan is particularly proud of learning to read. She achieved this by attending Skills Centre ‘Playhouse’ sessions, these were weekly play sessions for local young children and their carers. During sessions the children would play play together with their parents and Meath residents. Regan’s love of young children gave her the confidence to begin reading them story books and she has since continued to gain confidence with reading. At a Meath Carol Service she proudly gave a poetry reading to the packed congregation.
“Staff at The Cottages helped me to practice, and I did some rehearsals with my friends at Social Saturday sessions at The Hive too. I am proud that I did it even though I was nervous.”