David Axelrod talks to Fox News about his daughter's epilepsy

[Enrique]

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/11/22/obamas-senior-adviser-puts-fight-epilepsy/?test=latestnews

David Axelrod, President Obama's senior adviser and architect of his 2008 campaign, doesn't fear a good political fight. But in his personal life, Axelrod and his wife, Susan, have been fighting a 29-year battle with their first child Lauren's epilepsy.

Their story began when Susan discovered her 7-month-old in the crib, blue and listless. "She was sort of salivating at the mouth, and making a guttural sound" Susan recalls. "I think I was just sort of in shock."

The Axelrods rushed Lauren to the hospital, where doctors told them their daughter was having a seizure.

"It took months after she got sick for someone to say, well, you know -- what she has is epilepsy," David told Fox News. "I knew the word, I knew it was bad. But I didn't quite know what it all meant."

(...)

[rfranklin]

1. I don't suppose that he ever had to pay the bills without health insurance...

No, I guess not.

[cally]

7. during the healthcare debate, he talked about struggles

with health insurance and trying to keep her on policies. He wasn't always wealthy and struggled.

[elleng]

2. Wonder whether they know about this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9603764

[jwirr]

3. There are many forms of epilepsy and the diet thing will not work

for many. My daughter has had 4-5 seizures a week since she was 8 months old. She has five different types and also has a developmental disability. Her digestive system has never been able to tolerate any food - she had reflux for years and when we had a tube inserted into her stomach she weighed 50 pounds (age 27). She now eats mainly through that tube - a supplemental food. The doctor told us to keep her swallowing so she could take her meds with a spoon full of jelly. She gets small portions of goodies that can be easily swallowed every noon. The change in her life since we started the tube feedings has been a miracle.

I would hope that Axelrod has learned the lessons about medical assistance like many of us have but somehow I doubt it. Money can make one very blind to facts of life.

[elleng]

4. I am sad for your family's very difficult times, and happy for your miracle.

I object to the suggestion that Axelrod is and has always been wealthy, and that he is therefore blind to facts of life.

I also wonder what 'wealthy' means here, at DU.

Don't mean to challenge you too much, jwirr, but as I read things at DU, my family might be or have been considered wealthy, and hence I become the enemy. There's a serious lack of sense of proportion in this, imo.

[jwirr]

5. Sorry, I forget that. When we have 40 millionaires who are telling

President Obama that the rich need to pay more taxes we ought to realize that wealth is not a party indicator.

[elleng]

6. p.s., my family is nowhere near those.