I’m a 37 year old wife to Case Dalton and mother to Charlotte, 7, and Abigail, 3. I have worked for the Qualis Corporation under the ESSCA Jacobs contract as a Chemist performing analysis to support the Urine Processor on the International Space Station. In short, I turn urine back into drinking water for the astronauts. Although I’ve work as a Chemist for the past 15 years, I’ve always had an interest in health and fitness. Consequently, I earned a degree in Exercise Physiology.
I remember my first dabble into fitness was an old “Buns of Steel” VHS of my Mom’s. I must have worn that video out! Body Pump, P90X, running, Muay Thai, and Dance Fitness: I enjoyed them all!
My oldest daughter was born a healthy baby girl in July 2012. I had taught Dance Fitness classes all during my pregnancy and postpartum. At 6 months old, my healthy baby girl scootering around the house in her walker, suddenly slumped over in a Grand Mal seizure. That seizure lasted 45 minutes and took so much Valium, then Ativan to stop, that she had to be continuously monitored due to her slower heart rate and respiratory rate. It was the worst day of my life. I thought she was dying. Long story long, these seizures began to become the norm, not the exception. By 9 months old, she was diagnosed with a catastrophic form of epilepsy from a genetic mutation called “Dravet Syndrome.” I’ve always been mentally and physically strong, or so I thought.
Her diagnosis shook me to my core. Mortality is 20%, that’s 1 in 5, no not my baby. While I have an amazing support system and family, the internal storm wreaked havoc. I didn’t deal with any of this well and there was never a reprieve. Ever. Seizures were 24/7, 365. I was constantly on guard. Waking to the sound of a seizing baby at 3 am is tough. By 2 years old, she was having up to 50 Grand Mal seizures a month. We traveled to Memphis, Birmingham, and Atlanta. I worked hard to take care of my girl, but poor coping mechanisms left me unhealthy and retaining a lot of weight.
Fortunately, I soon realized that if I’m unhealthy, I can’t take care of my family. They depend on me and love me. When I learned Charlotte could lose her ability to walk and talk (all milestones were on track until around age 3), I decided that if she couldn’t walk, I would carry her. She is bigger for her age so I knew that I was going to have to be strong. Having been into fitness, I knew about CrossFit, but that’s only for fit people, right? I had gained 50 pounds, had little time in my schedule, and was diagnosed with anxiety and depression from the ongoing traumatic stress of a very uncontrolled situation. I decided to swallow my pride and just see if CrossFit could help me become strong. I had nothing to lose.
Little by little, day by day, one tiny step at a time; progress was made. Today, I’m still busy, still just as stressed as most all parents are. But I’m dealing with all that in a much healthier way. It’s not perfect, I have my days, but I found that in a very uncontrolled situation I could control the way I chose to handle it. When I can’t control life, I go control the direction of my barbell. Today, I’m 40lbs lighter, happier, and I can easily carry my sweet Charlotte AND chase after Abigail. My Box is an extension of my own family.
Charlotte, as of this writing, is 9 months seizure free thanks to a medical trial in combination with cannabis oil. A new record for us. Charlotte is no longer wheelchair bound, tells me her wants and needs, and one of her favorite activities other than swimming is to come to CrossFit Oddity with Mommy. Both Abigail and Charlotte love exercising with Mommy.
When I have the time, we love to go RV’ing as a family, or off-roading the Jeep with the hubs. I also enjoy sewing and home canning. I have a 12yr old Lab, Lugnut, and our newest baby, 1yr old Bully mix, Meatball.
