As writen by Chastin's mother:

Chastin is 14 years old. He was born two weeks early, had to stay a week in the hospital due to jaundice with levels of 19 and sustained a broken clavicle at birth. He was a little slow at developing, walked at 17 months old, barely sitting at 8 months with support. The only words he has ever spoken were "dad" & "kitty", that was 12 years ago, his world has been silent ever since. We experienced a "hard to awaken" episode with him at six months old, had an MRI & EEG done everything was normal. One week after his 2nd birthday is when I became certain of what I "suspected" was happening to him two weeks prior. He has playing in the bathroom sink when all the sudden his arms extended out to the sides, his wrists curled inward, his head dropped with such force that he hit his face on the sink and fell off the step he was standing on. When he landed he hit his head very hard on the floor and I then noticed that his legs were stretched and his feet were pulled inward, arms remained outward, wrists remained curled, his lip was bleeding -BUT he was smiling- (any two year old would be screaming). I ran and grabbed the camcorder. By the time I had gotten back he was walking out of the bathroom, very disoriented, pupils were huge, as he walked his arms kept flying outward, head kept dropping and he rubbed his head after each episode was over, I taped this for fifteen minutes approx 20 "drop attacks", put him into the car, took him & the video tape to the Dr's office one hour later we were on our way to Primary Children’s Hospital. We were scared but not devastated; I had all the faith in the world that western medicine was going to fix him. That too was 12 years ago. He's never opened any Christmas or birthday presents yet, he never got to graduate from kindergarden, he has never gone “trick or treating” (most Halloweens he spent in the hospital.) As days turned into months, months turned into years he has a number of medical conditions, Lennox Gaustaut Syndrome, A PET study demonstrated global cortical hypo metabolism, Spastic Dipligia, Static Encephalopathy, Cerebral Palsy symptoms, Microephaly & Brain Atrophy (which had appeared to cease for three years) A recent MRI however has revealed that Brain Athropathy has resumed. Having hundreds of seizures a day, Chastin lost his ability to walk, crawl, talk even lost the ability to scratch an itch. Countless trips to salt Lake City Neurology appointments. Its like one tiny step forward 10 steps backwards. He can roll and sit up now unsupported (frog position only) he needs help some times though, brings his finger to mouth with extreme restrictions and this is the sum of his physical abilities. He will smile on a "good" day, will laugh just a few times a month there are brief moments that we see he's still in there, he just can't get out and say what’s on his mind. Our only communication are "ummms" and finger biting. We have tried the Edgar Casey Clinic in Phoenix Arizona. He was ruled out as a candidate for brain surgery at UCLA medical Center. Chiropractic treatments for a year in Colorado, Cranial Therapy for 3 months in Colorado, colon cleansing & vitamin/ mineral supplements from Utah, homeopathic remedies, mic.alternative treatment centers, anti epileptic drugs, Vagal Nerve Stimulator, high doses of vitamin B & the Keto Genic Diet with little or no help, the Keto diet has been the most successful. Just to have him do the little things that we in general take for granted, like standing on our feet, to be able to scratch an itch, to reach out an arm out and touch, to be able to show affection and emotion even at a the smallest level would be a blessing.

As a family the hardest thing for us to accept is that he has really never been able to express himself...... who is this beautiful boy of ours? What dose his voice sound like when using words? What makes him feel happy, sad, what things would excite him? What would make him smile? What hurts him? He has cried real tears "two" times in 12 years!! What would his likes and dislikes be? Would him & his brother argue or be best pals? What kind of foods would he eat? We realize we may never know what kind of personality he would have, but there always remains HOPE.

Thank you for everything; you are wonderful & supportive; hope to be meeting you soon