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Concord church holds fundraiser for child with seizures
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Published: May 28, 2009
Maggie Rider was a normal 3 year old whose life was turned upside down when she began to have seizures.
The seizures would hit her only when she was asleep, sometimes 20 to 40 times a night. There are eight different seizure types, and Maggie has had all eight at one time or another.
"It all started when she woke up during the night screaming, and we couldn't calm her down," Maggie's mother, Patricia Rider, said. "They thought she was having night terrors at first. Then she was cuddled up next to us and she went to shaking. It was a Grand Mal seizure."
Doctors' tests have come back inconclusive.
"They have run all kinds of tests and scans, but can't find any problem. She doesn't fit any pattern," Brenda Rider, Maggie's grandmother said.
"The tumor is somewhere down deep in the brain, and is coming out her front lobe," Patricia said.
There is no history of epilepsy in the family and Maggie's 12-year-old brother Brian is healthy. Brenda has four other healthy grandchildren.
Brenda and her husband, Rev. Ron Rider, the pastor of Concord Wesleyan Church, have watched their granddaughter go through three years of anguish.
"Last year she was hospitalized. She could barely talk and can't swallow very well," Brenda said.
They have Maggie on a soft diet and she requires Thick - it, a thickening agent used in liquids like water and juice, to keep the fluids from finding their way into the lungs and causing pneumonia.
"Insurance doesn't cover the cost of Thick-it. Maggie will use two cans a week, at a cost of $22 a can," Brenda said.
Maggie attends kindergarten at W.A. Young in Morganton, but has a one-on-one teacher that sits with her in class.
"The kids are wonderful with her. She can't talk to them, and she doesn't have enough energy to interact with them," said Patricia.
She is in therapy everyday but Fridays.
One of the therapists has recommended a bike for her to exercise her weak muscles. It's a special bike that will strap her hands and legs onto the handlebars and pedals. The cost is $500 and is not covered by insurance.
Insurance does cover some things, but not all, her grandmother said.
She can't use generic drugs on any of the five prescriptions she takes a month.
Her physician is in Winston Salem, so the gas and expenses are not covered.
Her insurance is 80/20 co-pay, so this has been costly for the family and there is no end in sight.
Maggie is not a candidate for surgery since they can't find the cause of her seizures.
"People in our church saw what was happening to Maggie. They said, 'we would just like to help'," Brenda said.
The ladies group of the Concord Wesleyan Church wanted to help Maggie's family with some of the rising costs they will continue to endure.
They will be holding a yard and hot dog sale for Maggie on Saturday.
It will be held in the Family Life Center of the Concord Wesleyan Church, at 2295 Barnhardt Ave., NW. All proceeds will go to help Maggie's rising medical expenses.
• Contact reporter Robin L. Gardner: 704-789-9140
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