Westminster, CO -- Julie McCawley spent her first birthday in the hospital, fighting for her life with the severe allergic reaction Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS). Julie had been prescribed Phenobarbital, an anti-convulsant, to control seizures, which caused the reaction that left Julie blind in her right eye, photophobic and scarred for life.
Now, 16 years old Julie is speaking out to spread awareness of SJS and the importance of exploring dietary treatments for epilepsy at the 2009 Ketogenic Forum hosted by the Charlie Foundation. Julie’s presentation will take place on Saturday, November 14 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The Ketogenic Diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet developed during the 1920s to control and cure epilepsy in children and teenagers. While the diet does not work for everyone research has shown fifty to seventy-five percent of patients with difficult to control seizures have positive results.
“If someone had told my family about the diet before I was put on medication I never would have had Stevens Johnson Syndrome,” said Julie, “The work the Charlie Foundation is doing to educate doctors about the diet is important. I hope that they can prevent what happened to me from happening to anyone else.”
During her recovery from SJS Julie was treated by physician’s who studied the Ketogenic Diet at John’s Hopkins University. By 1997- she was declared epilepsy free.
About Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS)
Stevens Johnson Syndrome is a severe adverse reaction to medication. Adverse reactions account for approximately 150,000 deaths in the U.S. alone, making drug reactions the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. For more information about SJS please visit www.sjsupport.org or call the SJS Foundation at (303)635-1241.
