LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Norton Children's Hospital recently celebrated the grand opening of its Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU), funded in part by the WHAS Crusade for Children.
Coincidentally, one of the unit's first patients is the daughter of Bryce Carden, the Louisville firefighter who heroically rescued a woman trapped in semi-truck hanging off the side of the Clark Memorial Bridge.
18-month-old Oaklynn Carden was born at 33 weeks and spent 87 days in the NICU. But her case wasn't typical.
"When she was born, we did not know she was having seizures," Caitlynn Carden, her mom, said. "No one would have known, not even her doctors."
Oaklynn was suffering from subclinical seizures.
"People think epilepsy and seizures, like convulsing. It's not like that," her father, Bryce Carden, said. "We can't tell, that's why we have to come in for the EEGs."
Until now, Oaklynn's parents would visit a much smaller space at Norton Children's to monitor her seizures.
"Opening this neuro unit over here makes it easier on us as parents," Bryce Carden said.
"It really helps us feel more comfortable coming to the hospital not having to be around sick children. She can keep calm and not have a lot of distractions. This is amazing for us as a family," Caitlynn Carden said.
The EMU is a game-changer for kids in need of extensive epilepsy testing and seizure monitoring. It helps doctors establish the correct diagnosis, determine the exact kind of epilepsy a child has, and its treatment options.
What was once a four-bed unit, now holds space for eight patients. Nurses and physicians are just outside your door.
"So, anytime a patient has seizures, we're all immediately there," Dr. Cemal Karakas, a neurologist at Norton Children's said. "Once you have more data, there's definitely more to analyze and more to understand."
The unit uses state of the art equipment, provided in part by the WHAS Crusade for Children, a cause that hits home for local firefighters, including Louisville Fire.
"We collect every year, it's something we're super passionate about," Bryce Carden said. "And it all comes back full circle in helping my daughter with better monitoring and getting this new unit open."
It's a lifeline for thousands of kids.
"It's been a busy week in the Carden household for sure," he said. "You may have seen the small little bridge rescue we had. I was a small part in that."
But despite all the headlines, Bryce Carden said his most important title is Dad.
"She makes me proud every day," he said. "She's my baby girl. I'll give her anything she ever wants."
"We'd do anything in the world for her," Caitlynn Carden said.
The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit was a $3 million investment for Norton Children's, $280,000 of which was funded by the WHAS Crusade for Children, through the Norton Children's Hospital Foundation.
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