Whitehorse teen marks 10 year seizure-free — thanks to her diet, says mother
Jade Pealow was on a strict ketogenic diet when she was younger
Fourteen-year-old Jade Pealow celebrated a major milestone this week in Whitehorse: ten years seizure-free.
Jade has epilepsy, and her mom, Fawn Fritzen, credits a strict ketogenic diet when Jade was younger for helping reach this milestone.
Jade was only two years old when she started having seizures but she doesn't remember them. But Fritzen remembers them well.
"Besides watching your child suffer, which is awful for any parent, the worst part of it was the not knowing — not knowing if we were going to be able to help, if we were going to find something that was going to heal her brain," Fritzen recalled.
"Because she went from a real typical toddler to being completely incapacitated."
Frtizen says Jade would have seizures often, sometimes injuring herself. Fritzen said medications would make her daughter slow and foggy.
"It was devastating to watch her go from this bright, energetic fun-loving kid, to a child we had to keep in a playpen a lot of the time, just to keep her safe," Fritzen said.
The family then consulted with their doctor and decided to try the ketogenic diet. It's a high-fat, carbohydrate-controlled protein diet. According to the Canadian Epilepsy Alliance, it is one of the oldest forms of medical treatment for epilepsy.
5 years on strict diet
Jade's family worked with the neurology team at BC Children's Hospital to guide her diet. Jade remained on the ketogenic diet for five years before transitioning to a more "normal" diet in 2014.
"A typical meal would look like a tiny plate of food, because the calories are so concentrated — and most of it is fat, so she might get a tiny bit of chicken and that would be her protein," Fritzen recalls.
"She would have a tablespoon of coconut oil."
Sometimes Jade would have a small smoothie with almond milk or coconut milk with canola oil mixed in. She would also get a few raspberries or watermelon.
"I remember a real heartbreaking moment where she asked me if she could have a banana. Bananas are very high in carbohydrates so I had to say no," Fritzen said.
Jade was devastated.
"When a child asks for a banana snack, that is such a reasonable request from a toddler."
Fritzen said after a few months on the diet, it became her daughter's "new normal."
Fritzen says Jade's dad Michael Pealow, plus friends and family, played a big part in helping Jade reach her latest milestone.
"Now she is a sunny, loving, bright, and happy young person, full of fun, and unconcerned about her challenging past," Fritzen says, calling her daughter the "miracle girl."
The next major milestone on the horizon will be in 2024, when Jade will have been off the strict ketogenic diet for 10 years. If she is still seizure-free at that point, Fritzen says her epilepsy will be considered medically "resolved," though she will always belong to a population considered to be at higher risk for seizures.
Jade's favourite food now that she doesn't have to watch the carbs is spaghetti, and this week she celebrated with another high-carb favourite — cake.