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Meet the Children of Chelsea’s Hope

Chelsea’s Hope Families
Read their stories of strength and hope in the face of Lafora

In Memoriam

“Those we have held in our arms for a little while, we hold in our hearts forever.”

Diane Victoria Gellel- 22

Diane was a  young lady with so much potential, she was smart and athletic and just a beautiful person inside and out.

She was a joker who always made her family laugh, She loved to help others who were less fortunate and had dreams of one day becoming a lawyer.

On October 24th, 1991 Diane had her first seizure playing a volleyball game after school.

We thought, "ok, she has epilepsy, with medication this could be controlled." After a while, we started noticing that she was having involuntary jerks and that’s when we knew something was just not right.

After months and months of testing, we got the news that no parent should ever have to hear, Diane had Lafora Disease, a very rare form of epilepsy that had no cure.  I remember a nurse saying, “Take good care of her she is going to need you,” and she was right.

For the next 10 years we watched our daughter fight this horrible disease, first loosing her ability to walk, then her ability to function on her own in any capacity, and for the last few years this vibrant beautiful young lady could not even tell you hello.

Lafora took the life of our daughter on January 12th 2001 at the age of 22.

- Provided by Diane Victoria Gellel’s Family.

 

Diane's birthday