MacKenzie and the diagnosis of Epilepsy


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Hey Rosie, epilepsy is no joking matter

The letter by Beth and Scott in the Lansing State Journal on 12/23/01

   It came to our attention that an episode of the
Rosie O'Donnell show would be airing a segment re-
garding a toy doll called "Baby Go Boom." As we
watched the show, Rosie's intended promotion of this
doll turned into a horrific display of degradation, and
unsympathetic bad taste.
   The toy's normal functions includ-       Beth
ed giggling, falling down on its                Achenbach
behind, and wiggling its legs, shak-
ing and laughing while on its back.
While observing a demonstration, Rosie's band lead-
er, John McDaniel, commented amidst his laughter,
"She has a seizure!"
    Understanding that Rosie O'Donnell is a comedienne
whose talk show has a foundational basis on her humor
and also knowing that not every joke is funny to every-
one, we witnessed not only muliple references to "baby
having a seizure" but the introduction of her Chihua-
hua who she wanted to attack the baby doll. We were
astonished at Ms. O'Donnell's lack of sensitivity to her
television audience, whose demographics include those
afflicted with epilepsy. What if the doll had any other
malady? Would it have been approached with the same
reckless abandon?
   Since the airing of that episode, I have been relayed
a personal story of a 4-year-old boy with epilepsy whose
mother stated, "My child is now afraid of having a sei-
zure and afraid that a dog is going to kill him." She
continue that she had contacte the "Rosie Show" her-
self and stated, "I thanked them profusely for instilling
those thoughts in my child's head and all the work
I have done has now been destroyed. I have to start
from scratch. They may not have directly made fun of
a seizure, but they attached a stigma that anybody can
laugh at a disorder, and it is OK to do so."
   We hope that Rosie O'Donnell would look into
the epilepsy community, to those who have epilepsy, or have
a child with epilepsy, or have a friend or loved one with
epilepsy, to see how complex and debilitating it can
be. She should reflect on the possibilities of irreparable
damage that she may have caused. We are greatly dis-
appointed with Ms. O'Donnell's actions and hope that
she can use better judgement in the future.
   I have a 6-year-old daughter who was diagnosed
with epilepsy in December 2000. Since that time,
we have been unable thus far to gain control of her
seizures. She now has the diagnosis of intractable
seizures and has had 15 generalized convulsive sei-
zures, hundreds of drop attacks, and an unmeasur-
able amount of other seizures to date. Although her
quality of life has not been altered, thank goodness,
we live with epilepsy on a daily basis.
   Regardless of Ms. O'Donnell's actions, I can assure
you that witnessing a child having a seizure is no
laughing matter!
   Beth Achenbach is a Lansing resident.






A very special THANK YOU to everyone who chose to sponsor our team "Marching for MacKenzie" for the Summer Stroll for Epilepsy!
 
In no particular order :-)....
 
Casey from The Therapy Institute
Janet from The Therapy Institute
The gang at Reality Counseling Services
Linn and Owen Jewelers
The Mole Hole
Mr. Toad's Paper
Kelly's Downtown
Sara's Lunchbox Express
Ma-Ah's Futuristic Nostalgia
Grandma and Grandpa P.
Aunt Susie and Uncle Larry
Dr. Zachary Dyme
Grandma and Grandpa A.