East Hampton Community Opens Heart for Beloved Teen Battling Epilepsy

EAST HAMPTON, NY - Erika Gomez was poised at the brink of her beautiful future when her world changed forever two years ago.

And now, the community that loves her is coming together fiercely to help her during her battle with epilepsy.

A GoFundMe page, "Erika's Recovery", has raised $15,688 of its $100,000 goal since it was launched nine days ago by Betsy Bennett Hughes.

Erika, a recent East Hampton High School graduate, who had been diagnosed with epilepsy on April 22, 2014, after a series of minor periods of "spacing out" and several inexplicable fainting spells, was placed on anti-convulsants to control her condition.

Initially, she went back to being a senior at East Hampton High School, enjoying sport and her friends, and thrilled by the prospect of a driver's license, graduation and college, Hughes wrote.

"Everything changed for Erika on July 29, 2014. Just a month after graduation, she was standing alone at the East Hampton train station, waiting for the train. As it approached and the crossing gates began to lower, Erika suffered her first convulsive seizure," Hughes said. "She fell face first onto the platform. Had she been standing closer to the edge or had the strangers who rushed to help her, not been there, the results could have been tragic."

Erika was hospitalized with extensive injuries to her teeth, lacerations on her face, and cuts and bruises all over her body. She was diagnosed with a type of epilepsy that causes tonic-clonic, silent, seizures. In her case, those seizures happen without any sort of "aura," meaning that she gets no warning or any indication that a seizure is imminent, Hughes explained.

"From that day, everything in Erika's life changed. She is unable to drive, play sports, or swim. Being alone at all has an element of risk. The most difficult decision the family had to make was whether or not she should go off to college. Doctors assured the family that the medication would work and she would be fine as long as she took care of herself."

Erica, Hughes said, held tight to her spirit, refusing to let epilepsy define her. "She just wanted to be 18," she said.

And so, she worked at Sneakerology in town throughout the summer and then, left for college at SUNY Plattsburgh that August, Hughes said.

"Despite her best attempts to follow a very healthy lifestyle, the seizures continued. With fierce determination, Erika completed her freshman year. When she returned to school for the start of her sophomore year, something again had changed," she said.

The seizures continued, but in addition, Erika's memory began to be affected, the page read. She struggled to keep up with her schoolwork and often found herself too sick to attend classes. She was hospitalized several times and fell further and further behind. Soon after classes began for the second semester, it became clear to Erika and her family, that she'd have to withdraw from school for medical reasons, the page says.

"This has taken a big toll on her emotionally because she is forced to put her life on hold for epilepsy. The illness had become a larger and larger piece of who she is," Hughes said.

Since returning home to East Hampton, Erika has suffered several seizures and multiple hospitalizations.

The most recent episode was on May 12.

She had been feeling much better following an adjustment in her medication levels and had returned to work one day before the seizure, Hughes said.

"According to her co-workers, she was fine and had a 'great' day. She was happy to be back at work. Toward the end of the day Thursday, she decided to walk across the street to get something. She walked up the steps and onto the street and suffered a major seizure," Hughes wrote. "She lost consciousness and fell hard to the ground, face first. She was lucky to not have been hit by a car."

The seizure resulted in her two top front teeth being knocked completely out of her mouth, something that had happened before to her bottom teeth. She suffered cuts that required a plastic surgeon to close, and numerous abrasions and bruises.

While her family has insurance, it does not cover dental work, which exceeds $3,500, just for the treatment in the emergency room, Hughes wrote.

"When Erika was told of the cost, she told them not to do it. She was concerned about what the cost would do to her family. Fortunately, a caring friend was there and insisted this essential work be done. She assured Erika that one way or another, the bill would be paid."

Erika, Hughes said, may require considerably more dental work. "There is no guarantee the teeth will be saved. Her insurance only covers a portion of the plastic surgeon's bills, which could be considerable," she said.

"Erika's life has been completely derailed by her illness. Her family has suffered tremendously, as well. They all live in a constant state of intense worry and high alert. Despite the injuries she has suffered so far, she feels lucky to not have suffered a serious brain injury, or worse, during one of her seizures. Her family and friends worry constantly that she will suffer a sudden seizure and be seriously injured," Hughes said.

Erika's family has also endured financial struggles due to her illness. Her mom, who baby-sits for a family in Southampton, constantly needs to take off work because Erika simply cannot be left alone, Hughes said. "This, of course, means less money in her pocket each week. Kathleen, Erika's sister, works in the city but tries to come home whenever she can. She too must work, because both cannot afford to lose a paycheck. "They try to keep this stress from Erika, because stress is a factor of her condition, but they know she feels it as well, as she sees her mom taking off work in order to be home with her," she wrote.

The GoFundMe is meant to pay for immediate and ongoing medical bills, to help Erika see specialists that might be able to help control her epilepsy, and to help provide her with a service dog, which cost around $50,000, Hughes said.

"We hope, with your help, to be able to give Erika and her family the support they need to realize the very best possible outcome for Erika and her future. They have not asked for help before, and this fundraising effort was not their idea. They need our help."

To donate, click here.