Tommy Rattell had his first seizure when he was 2 1/2 years old.
“I didn’t know what to do at that time,” said his father, Ed Rattell.
Now 5, Tommy is like most kindergarteners. He loves playing soccer and has a fascination with space, astronauts and rocket ships. He can name all of the planets in order from the sun.
And his parents are learning how to live with their child’s seizures, apparently from epilepsy. Even though doctors have not yet made a formal diagnosis of epilepsy, the signs are there, his parents said. Among other symptoms are behavioral issues, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and a decline in his motor skills, his parents said.
To help cope, Ed and his wife, Annmarie, have become active fundraisers for the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut.
Although Tommy he hasn’t had a seizure in the last three months, the anticipation of one lingers in his mother’s mind.
