86. A Reckoning

We have entered the year strong. Although we ended 2025 with a scare, we are smarter for it.

Since that scary week, Owen has been open about experiencing focal seizures. These are moments where he is still conscious. His neurologist has increased his anti-seizure medication.

I had my own major breakthrough that has me in a good space.

Owen and I have secured our tickets back to Japan. This is where he finds peace, where he feels is home.

Gotta dust off my camera for some more documenting of our journey! It’s not as long as our last visit but that’s ok. It’ll be time that will refill his cup, refill mine.

We had a huge blessing that I found out about this week. Since Owen’s diagnosis, I have been using every hour that I earn for leave towards his care and appointments. And so I have been carefully managing my leave because I don’t have any. This week, I had go to see when my W2 would be ready for tax filing. That’s when I saw that I had received donations of leave. I have cried about it a few times… being so grateful that people had took the time to help us. Because the program is designed for anonymity, I cannot personally thank everyone because I do not know who contributed. If you happen to be reading this and you donated, thank you for helping us carry this fight on. Even 15 minutes of donated leave is a tremendous lift while I continue the fight for an exception to policy at work to allow me some flexibility to provide care to Owen.

Thank you. In this world, in this time, you have brought back the belief that there is good.

We have started the new year, the year of the fire horse (ME), with a bang. The Muffin busted her chin last week and had her first stitches. We went to see the Spurs and the Lakers play (LA lost, boo). Both our football teams are in the playoffs (although this may change tomorrow). I am looking forward to this year and am hopeful that we will make some more awesome memories.