By Xavier Smerdon
KYAN Davis looks like any other happy, energetic five-year-old child.
He runs around the playground and helps his little sister Amelie climb up the ladder while wearing a big cheeky grin.
The only thing that sets Kyan apart from most other boys and girls is his life altering illness.
At just 14-months-old he was diagnosed with severe epilepsy.
“Looking back, he had symptoms when he was two months old,” mum Tamara Davis said.
“We didn’t realise that the little movements he was doing were actually epilepsy.”
When Tamara and her husband Tim were finally told that Kyan had epilepsy, she was eight months pregnant with her second child.
“Pretty much the whole world just caved in,” Tamara said.
Kyan has a rare form of the disorder where he will not always snap out of them himself.
Tamara said she wanted to raise awareness for epilepsy and let people know how they could help if they saw someone having a seizure.
“A lot of people don’t know what to do,” Tamara said.
“Don’t just stop and stare at them. Call an ambulance, that’s all you have to do.”
Thanks to his medication, Kyan has not had a seizure for over a year.
But to add to the family’s difficulties, late last year he was diagnosed with autism.
“It’s very, very difficult just trying to do the whole balancing thing,” Tamara said.
“Some days we have to take it minute by minute.”
But as far as Kyan’s concerned, he is a normal boy who has dreams and goals for when he grows up.
“I want to be a firefighter,” Kyan said.
“I just love firefighters.”
Epilepsy Awareness Week runs from 19 to 26 March.
For more information call the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria on 9805 9111 or the Epilepsy Helpline on 1300 852 853.
