This March, I’m giving up my daily cup to support families like ours through the work of the Dravet Syndrome Foundation.

Our daughter Marianna was diagnosed as a baby after her first seizures began in infancy. Her seizures can be long, unpredictable, and life-threatening — sometimes lasting up over an hour and requiring emergency care and intubation, she was intubated at 9 months old. Her triggers can vary from slight change in body temperature, change from hot to cold weather vice versa, going from a warm bath to chilly air, most recently teething. Watching your child fight something you can’t see or stop is something no parent is ever prepared for. 

Dravet Syndrome is a life-threatening epilepsy that can include the risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy(SUDEP).

That’s why research matters so much. By supporting Marianna’s fundraiser, you’re helping fund the science and advocacy that families like ours depend on.

Children with Dravet are some of the strongest kids you’ll ever meet. Along with seizures, many face developmental challenges and require complex medical care. Life can involve hospital stays, medications, constant monitoring, and learning how to manage triggers that most families never have to think about.

But behind the diagnosis is still a child first — full of personality, smiles, and moments of joy. Families learn to celebrate the little victories and advocate fiercely for awareness, research, and better treatments so that one day there will be a cure.

Research, education, and family support make a real difference — and that’s exactly what DSF works to provide. Dravet doesn't receive grants from the government nor alliance with any other epilepsy foundations quietly carrying it. The reality is the most meaningful dravet research only moves because families fund it themselves. When families stop advocating and donating progress slows or stops. 

For this virtual fundraiser, I’m giving up my coffee/tea/“cup” for 30 days in March and donating what I would have spent instead.

If you’re able, join me:
1. ☕ Give up a cup for a day, week, or month
2. Donate what you save
3. Share to spread awareness

Every small sacrifice adds up to hope, research, and better care for kids like Marianna. #PourItForwardForMarianna