by James Coulter
Five-year-old Dillinger has been diagnosed with epilepsy for one year. When he turned four years old, he was suffering up to 70 seizures per day, and his poor parents didn’t know why.
“We don’t know why they started,” his mother, Glenda, said. “They tested him for about everything.”
One month after his fourth birthday, he was diagnosed with epilepsy. His seizures were eventually controlled using pharmaceutical CBD oil. Even then, poor Dillinger suffered from seizures, nearly 70 per day.
His parents took him to Orlando, where the doctors diagnosed him with frontal lobe epilepsy with secondary generalization. As explained by Cleveland Clinic, his disorder makes it so that his seizures “start in one area of the brain instead of multiple areas.”
“It progressed to where [his seizures are] covering his whole brain,” his mother explained. “They told us that they want to start looking into surgical fixes for him because his seizures are not controllable with medication.”
Young Dillinger will be undergoing the first phase of testing, which includes various scans. A couple of weeks after the initial scans, he will undergo the third phase of testing. In this phase, holes will be bored into his head and electrodes will be placed in his brain to help map the area for surgery.
“At this point, they [the doctors] said they are very hopeful that the surgery will be a curative fix for him,” she said. “So that is really wonderful for him.”
To raise money for his procedures, a bass fishing tournament, Nickels for Pickles Benefit Tournament, will be hosted at Camp Mack Fishing Resort on Apr. 27.
The event is being hosted by Glenda’s cousin, Eddie Yearry, and his wife, Lauren, who have helped organize many other bass fishing events in the county with their non-profit The Rob Cutrupi Cancer Foundation.
“The biggest challenge is just reaching out to people. Trying to get as many local businesses as we can be involved,” Eddie Yearry said. “Different people that we reached out to have been more than willing to help.”
As for Glenda, her biggest challenge has been taking Dillinger on countless hospital trips and doctor’s appointments. Many times, when they have visited the emergency room, they have been turned away because his seizures “are not presenting like normal seizures.”
“So, they would send us home,” she said. “For us, that has been the hardest part, which is getting someone to listen to you as far as treating it. We are very blessed that we found a neurologist who has been working with us on that. He has been reaching out to other neurologists when it
went far past his scope. He was reaching out and having other neurologists trying to help out with treatment plans.”
Eddie has more than high expectations for the bass fishing tournament. He loves bass fishing, and he knows plenty of other fishing enthusiasts who love the sport. So, he is very hopeful those anglers will come out to fish and show their support for Dillinger and his family.
“We are trying to raise as much money as we can because they have some issues with their insurance as well, and we are trying to get as much money raised for him,” he said.
“I just want people to know that I am grateful for everyone from people like you who are reaching out to help,” Glenda said. “Overall, it has been overwhelming, but in the best way.”
Nickels for Pickles Bass Tournament will be hosted on Sat. Apr. 27 at daylight with weigh-in at 3 PM. T The event will be hosted at Guy Harvey Camp Mack Lodge, Marina, & Resort, located at 14900 Camp Mack Road, Lake Wales, FL 33898.
The fee is $120 per boat for a team of two anglers. Admission includes the big bass tourney and barbecue dinner. A cornhole tournament will occur after the weigh-in. Entry fee is $40 per team. First place will payout half of the monies collected for entry.
If you would like to fish in the Benefit Tournament, you can pre-register at: https://forms.gle/ru5W8yoi1DvVG6Gj8
If you are interested in donating to the event, you can reach out to Eddie Yearry or Lauren Yearry at 863-547-5212 or 863-588-9869.
This Young Boy From Fort Meade Was Having 70 Seizures A Day. A Bass Fishing Tourney is Being Hosted to Raise Funds so He Can Get Better.
by James Coulter
Five-year-old Dillinger has been diagnosed with epilepsy for one year. When he turned four years old, he was suffering up to 70 seizures per day, and his poor parents didn’t know why.
“We don’t know why they started,” his mother, Glenda, said. “They tested him for about everything.”
One month after his fourth birthday, he was diagnosed with epilepsy. His seizures were eventually controlled using pharmaceutical CBD oil. Even then, poor Dillinger suffered from seizures, nearly 70 per day.
His parents took him to Orlando, where the doctors diagnosed him with frontal lobe epilepsy with secondary generalization. As explained by Cleveland Clinic, his disorder makes it so that his seizures “start in one area of the brain instead of multiple areas.”
“It progressed to where [his seizures are] covering his whole brain,” his mother explained. “They told us that they want to start looking into surgical fixes for him because his seizures are not controllable with medication.”
Young Dillinger will be undergoing the first phase of testing, which includes various scans. A couple of weeks after the initial scans, he will undergo the third phase of testing. In this phase, holes will be bored into his head and electrodes will be placed in his brain to help map the area for surgery.
“At this point, they [the doctors] said they are very hopeful that the surgery will be a curative fix for him,” she said. “So that is really wonderful for him.”
To raise money for his procedures, a bass fishing tournament, Nickels for Pickles Benefit Tournament, will be hosted at Camp Mack Fishing Resort on Apr. 27.
The event is being hosted by Glenda’s cousin, Eddie Yearry, and his wife, Lauren, who have helped organize many other bass fishing events in the county with their non-profit The Rob Cutrupi Cancer Foundation.
“The biggest challenge is just reaching out to people. Trying to get as many local businesses as we can be involved,” Eddie Yearry said. “Different people that we reached out to have been more than willing to help.”
As for Glenda, her biggest challenge has been taking Dillinger on countless hospital trips and doctor’s appointments. Many times, when they have visited the emergency room, they have been turned away because his seizures “are not presenting like normal seizures.”
“So, they would send us home,” she said. “For us, that has been the hardest part, which is getting someone to listen to you as far as treating it. We are very blessed that we found a neurologist who has been working with us on that. He has been reaching out to other neurologists when it
went far past his scope. He was reaching out and having other neurologists trying to help out with treatment plans.”
Eddie has more than high expectations for the bass fishing tournament. He loves bass fishing, and he knows plenty of other fishing enthusiasts who love the sport. So, he is very hopeful those anglers will come out to fish and show their support for Dillinger and his family.
“We are trying to raise as much money as we can because they have some issues with their insurance as well, and we are trying to get as much money raised for him,” he said.
“I just want people to know that I am grateful for everyone from people like you who are reaching out to help,” Glenda said. “Overall, it has been overwhelming, but in the best way.”
Nickels for Pickles Bass Tournament will be hosted on Sat. Apr. 27 at daylight with weigh-in at 3 PM. T The event will be hosted at Guy Harvey Camp Mack Lodge, Marina, & Resort, located at 14900 Camp Mack Road, Lake Wales, FL 33898.
The fee is $120 per boat for a team of two anglers. Admission includes the big bass tourney and barbecue dinner. A cornhole tournament will occur after the weigh-in. Entry fee is $40 per team. First place will payout half of the monies collected for entry.
If you would like to fish in the Benefit Tournament, you can pre-register at: https://forms.gle/ru5W8yoi1DvVG6Gj8
If you are interested in donating to the event, you can reach out to Eddie Yearry or Lauren Yearry at 863-547-5212 or 863-588-9869.
