I was just about eleven years old and going into the fifth grade when my older brother showed up at our house in California, he lived in Arizona and worked at the college, he had this tiny little baby all wrapped up, looking all brand new and only a couple of weeks old a little girl named Anna. She had epilepsy something I had never heard about or even knew anything of, my brother needed my mom's help taking care of her and making sure she kept up with her doctor's appointments. These trip were on a weekly basis unless the doctor needed to see her twice a week that just ment a lot more trips on the bus. Anna had to be given her medication on schedule and had to be supervised twenty four seven. I was given this responsibility and didn't have time to complain, as I entered the bus I always made sure to hurry and grab the very last seat towards the back in case Anna had a episode, the back seats gave me more room. If there was a overlay in Los Angeles that ment I had a extra two hours to sit in this big crowded terminal, were people scuried about not caring who they pushed aside to get to where they were going. All this time and plenty of trips I thought I was alone but when ever Anna had a seizure I realized that I had this big crowd around me. The doctor had given me the instructions on how to care for Anna during a attack, he said to lay her comfortably on her side and gently hold her tongue so she wouldn't bite or swallow her tongue and I did every time. On one occasion Anna suffered a attack on the way into the restroom I was going to wash her bottels out, get her washed up and get myself cleaned up but had to stop drop everything I was trying to hold and tend to Anna, she started to seize, I dropped to the ground held her legs with one hand and held her tongue with my other hand, I would whisper in her ear that this episode would pass and that she wasn't alone. Tears running down my face I held this precious little girl close to my body until the seizure passed and once it was over she would sleep for hours, sometimes so long that I had to try to wake her up not sure if I lost her. This went on for a few years today Anna is in her late thirties, she graduated high school got married and had six children of her own, she out grew her epelipsy when she was about twelve once in a while I look at my fingers and see the few scares I got from trying to hold her tongue, Anna calls me "mom" and always has. If I had the chance to do things differently I wouldn't change anything we both went through it and it made me realize that when given the responsibility to care for such a small child it doesn't matter how old you are you are born with natural instincts and when needed your instincts will take over, they did for me anyway. I love you Anna, mom
