Keto Stories

Tomas

This is Tomas, aka The Ketolicious Kid, superhero and epilepsy warrior.   His superpowers include running really really fast, melting away anger with his cuteness, and kicking some serious butt against all odds. Fueled by his secret weapon, the Keto Diet, he’s fighting back with fat and nothing can stop this guy!!!!

His story begins in April of 2018 when at just 3 ½ yrs old Tomas had his first seizure, quickly followed by a second.  What followed was a hospital admission, EEGs, VEEGs, MRIs, bloodwork, monitoring, and lots of poking and prodding. He was discharged with a diagnosis of “epilepsy of unknown origin, presentation consistent w/ MAE or Doose Syndrome” (it was not either, the results came up negative after further testing), a follow up visit with a neurologist, a giant list of meds, and an even bigger list of questions.   

Over the next few months this warrior faced many challenges. He traded playtime and adventures for doctors’ visits and testing without having any relief in symptoms. Despite starting ASDs (anti-seizure drugs) his seizures became worse in frequency and intensity. He was having as many as 5-6 seizures an hour. Lost in a fog of medications and a short-circuiting brain, Tomas couldn’t remember things, lost coordination, balance, and was sleepy, so sleepy, all the time.

This is when our superhero was given his secret weapon, the Keto Diet.  This secret weapon wasn’t magic.  It took time, discipline and dedication to successfully master (like most worthwhile tools). Surrounded by his Keto Team at the Brain Institute, Tomas and his sidekicks (aka, family) learned to be Keto Ninja’s and wield this weapon.

Over the course of the next few months, Tomas starting eating things high in fats: avocados, macadamia nuts, and olives – and gave up things high in carbohydrates and sugars like wheat bread, processed snacks and candy.  The road wasn’t always easy, and the path didn’t always seem clear.  He and his sidekicks had to accept his new diet, be brave in trying new foods, and learn to navigate calorie restrictions, ratio changes, hunger, and HANGER.  Together they stuck to it and slowly he started winning battles against epilepsy.  The fog started to lift and his brain short-circuited less often.  Six months after starting the Keto Diet, Tomas had his first “clear” 24 hour VEEG, showing no epileptic brain waves. He has been SEIZURE FREE for over 10 months.    

With the help of the keto diet, his faithful sidekicks, and keto chef (mom), Tomas was able to take control of his epilepsy and become The Ketolicious Kid, epilepsy warrior.  When he’s not battling epilepsy, he can be found hanging out with friends and family on the soccer field or learning his letters and numbers – conquering Pre-K 4 one day at a time!!!

Follow his continuing journey @ketoliciouskid on Instagram

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