One Mum’s Rage At Doctors Refusal To Take Ketogenic Diet Seriously (Video)

Speaking at the 2008 International Symposium on Dietary Therapy for Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders, British Mum Emma Williams tells of her fight to get son Matthew on the ketogenic diet.  In an address that brought tears to the eyes of not only this brave Mum but many in the audience, she speaks of her rage at doctors refusal to take the ketogenic diet seriously and the subsequent brain damage her little boy suffered due to constant seizures. 

Matthew first began to seize at 9 months old and what followed Emma describes as “a rollercoaster of drugs, side effects, intensive care visits, not knowing whether he was going to live or die.”  When Matthew was two years old Mum Emma found out about the ketogenic diet, thanks to the Charlie Foundation, but when she went to doctors to ask for it she was told it didn’t work and that drugs were the better option.  Several times she questioned doctors and neurologists about the diet, even being told it was American hype. 

During this time Matthew suffered terrible brain damage.  At age 7, his Mum asked one more time about the ketogenic diet and was told there was a study being done at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.  Within two weeks of being on the diet Matthew went from 100 seizures per week to less than 10.

Despite the euphoria of such a significant reduction in seizures, Emma soon became angry that her son had been denied the diet for so long.  Would he have escaped brain damage if he had been put on the diet earlier?  No one can say for sure, but Emma became determined to not let this happen to other families.  She set up the charity Matthew’s Friends, which is based in the UK and gives informed choice to parents about the ketogenic diet, through information, a helpline, workshops and seminars. 

To see Emma Williams’ moving and inspiring speech click on the link below: