My son was diagnosed with Epilepsy on March 29, 2023, two days after my daughter was born. He was only 3. His seizures rapidly became out of control and it felt like we were just throwing medications at him, all we were getting were side effects and no improvement in seizures. Stress was at an all-time high with a new born and this new absolutely chaotic journey of epilepsy. We had multiple neurology visits, lab work, tests, imaging, nothing was identifying a cause, not to mention he just continued to get worse. I was hopeless. It was by chance that I got connected to Tree of Life. Through social media, a complete stranger told me how her daughter was seen at a chiropractic office in Illinois for a birth injury, not seizures, but their office also helped with seizure and other neurological disorders and depending on where we lived, I should look into it. This was about 6 weeks into our journey, I googled “pediatric chiropractor Portland” and found Tree of Life. I immediately called and left a message and Dr. Conor got right back to me - he said many things, but most importantly, they could help him. It brings tears to my eyes thinking about it now because I was so desperate, and after that phone call, I finally felt a little glimmer of hope. I learned later that the stranger on social media was referring to the practice in Illinois that Dr. Conor and Dr. Victoria were familiar with, they trained with the chiropractor there. It was absolutely meant to be.

We went in for our first visit and met everyone, including infamous Emory. Griffin had his scans and we signed up for three sessions a week. Dr. Conor taught us so much and explained the nervous system and the importance of regulation and balance and how the body handles stimulus. There was no doubt that Griffin’s nervous system was out of control, but I felt confident that we were going to make progress.  There were certainly still challenges (ER visits, hospital stays, drug toxicities, medical diets) but our commitment to chiropractic care remained priority in his epilepsy journey, I knew in my heart it was going to help him. At every visit, I got real time feedback as to how Griffin’s body was coping (or not coping) with stress. Over time (and eventual seizure control) we decreased to 2 days a week and more recently to weekly. Griffin actually likes going for treatments. The atmosphere, the kid friendly approach, the entire vibe in the office. It is such a pleasant, happy, and welcoming place.

Today, Griffin has gone over 20 months without any visible seizures. He is now only on 2 medications that we are weaning him off of and he is completely back to himself - a happy, healthy, funny, loving and doting big brother….living without seizures. I give an enormous amount of credit to Dr. Conor, Dr. Victoria, Sam and Emory for making that happen. They have not only helped my son, but I have adopted an entire new appreciation and approach to life – and they didn’t even physically treat me! Because of them, I have learned that my energy is very in sync with my kids and that I needed to regulate and balance my own nerves and feelings. I was a fierce advocate for my son at all of his medical appointments, but they also supported me in continuing to be his advocate when it came to med changes/procedures etc. They were treating him, but supporting me. We needed to learn to slow down and that life doesn’t need to be so chaotic. We have had more quiet balanced weekends, in an effort to let him slow down and calm his body down. We spend more time outside, being present and mostly being thankful for every day we get that is seizure free. Because of them it has been a cascade of positive changes, eating healthier, paying attention to our bodies, eliminating chemicals, meditating….dealing with stress.

I talk openly about chiropractic care and the benefits that can come along with it, we wouldn’t be where we are today without Tree of Life.                                            -Emily T.