Michaelah’s Pediatric Epilepsy Journey: 17 Years of Hope, Healing, and Expert Care

When Michaelah was just 18 months old, her family heard the words no parent ever wants to hear: your child has epilepsy. What started as febrile seizures (convulsions in a child caused by a fever) at eight months quickly progressed into regular seizures, leading to a long and emotional journey that would shape much of her childhood.

Today, at 18 years old, Michaelah is thriving, and her mom credits the expert pediatric neurology team at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital for helping her get there.

Finding the Right Team for a Complex Condition

Michaelah’s care began at another hospital, but when one of her neurologists transferred to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, her family followed. It turned out to be one of the best decisions they ever made.

From the moment Michaelah walks through the doors, she’s greeted with smiles, hugs, and familiar faces. Her mom describes the hospital as a place where everyone—from nurses, doctors, and patient care associates (PCA) to the front desk team—truly knows and cares about her daughter.

Advanced Epilepsy Treatment Close to Home

Epilepsy can be unpredictable and difficult to manage, especially when seizures come from multiple areas of the brain. Michaelah is not a candidate for epilepsy surgery, but her care team has worked tirelessly to find the right combination of epilepsy treatments to reduce her seizures and improve her quality of life.

Over the years, Michaelah has received:

• Plasmapheresis
• IVIG (Intravenous Immunoglobulin) therapy, which she receives every three weeks
• A vagal nerve stimulator (VNS) was implanted in her chest
• A medically supervised ketogenic diet, managed through the hospital’s Keto Clinic
• Multiple medication adjustments, including safely weaning off several drugs

Her family even traveled to an out-of-state children’s hospital for additional research and evaluation, but they continued to rely on Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital as their medical home.

The results have been life-changing. Her hospital stays—once as frequent as monthly and lasting up to four weeks—have become far less common. She has tried over 15 medications, failing the majority of them. She is now down to three and currently weaning off another.

A Care Team That Feels Like Family

One of the pediatric neurologists who has walked alongside Michaelah since the very beginning is Heidi Torocsik, DO. As Michaelah’s condition grew more complex, her care was entrusted to Syndi Seinfeld, DO, the medical director of Pediatric Epilepsy at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital.

Through every seizure, every hospital stay, and every difficult treatment, the entire pediatric neurology team has remained unwavering, supporting not just Michaelah, but her family with compassion, expertise, and relentless dedication.

Michaelah has met nearly every neurologist at the hospital, including new team members who joined over the years. Each one has taken the time to listen, answer questions, and adjust her care plan whenever needed.

17 Years of Strength and Support

Michaelah has spent nearly half her life in and out of hospitals, but she has overcome every challenge with strength and resilience. Her mom has been by her side through every admission, test, and breakthrough.

“It’s been a long journey,” her mom said. “But with God and the doctors on our side, I know her treatment is manageable. I know she has a future.”

And when asked who her favorite person at the hospital is, Michaela doesn’t hesitate: "Lotsy Dotsy and Mr. George (our hospital's resident clown and K-12 teacher, respectively)!"

Michaela’s story is one of hope, healing, and the power of compassionate, expert care. At Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, families like hers find advanced pediatric epilepsy treatment backed by a team that treats every child like their own.

From diagnosis to long-term management, our pediatric neurology specialists are here to help children with epilepsy live safer, healthier, more fulfilling lives.

We've Got the Spine, Back, and Nerve to Care for You

Memorial Healthcare System delivers comprehensive, lifelong neuroscience care for adults at Memorial Neuroscience Institute, and children at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. Patients with the most severe neurological and traumatic spinal injuries receive rapid, coordinated care at the Level 1 Trauma Center at Memorial Regional Hospital, while those with complex seizure disorders benefit from the nationally recognized Level IV Epilepsy Center and dedicated Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. Memorial also operates two Comprehensive Stroke Centers, ensuring the highest level of stroke diagnosis, intervention, and recovery support. Together, these programs create a seamless, system‑wide network of world‑class neurosurgical care, rehabilitation, and compassionate support for every patient and family.