Color Me Rad - East Tennessee Children's Hospital

Why I'm Campaigning

Once upon a time I was a child without much of a future.  When I was 10 months old I developed Epilepsy - a common and diverse set of chronic neurological disorders characterized by seizures.

I was still one of those crazy young children that gone out to enjoy bike rides and tried to jump ramps; one of those boy’s looking for an adventure. While I had seizures though, I had a dream of driving and living on my own like an adult but it wasn’t possible. Because of my Epilepsy, I had to have someone with me at all times, just in case I fell and had a Seizure. For those of you that don’t know a Seizure is a sudden malfunction in the brain that causing someone to collapse, convulse, or have another temporary disturbance of normal brain function, often with a loss or change in consciousness. I always woke up from a Seizure not knowing where I was.

My Epilepsy was cause because of dead tissue in the brain and in the summer of 1998 I was hospitalized and underway with surgery in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Three days later from my surgery I finally awake and ever since that day I have been seizure free.  This summer will be 15 years!

My dreams of driving came true.  My parents dream of me being a scholar came true.  I went to college at Purdue University and got a Bachelors’ of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology and now I am currently working at TVA's (Tennessee Valley Authority) Watts Bar which is a Nuclear Plant. 

A boy that wasn’t even supposed to drive is now helping our community to develop the Electricity that we use in our everyday lives.  Dreams are made for a reason and I want these children at East Tennessee Children's Hospital to be able and accomplish those dreams that they are given. 

"A dream is a wish that the heart makes. Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling thru. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing the dream that you wish will come true." – Cinderella