An event for a young Springfield girl who suffers from severe seizures will be held Sunday at the Methodist Campground in Springfield.
“MayMay’s Day” will be held from 3-6 p.m. for MaryGrace Rahn.
“Some of our close friends wanted to do something for us, and actually, it’s more of a social event just for people to come and show that they respect us and that they care for us,” said Nicole Rahn, MaryGrace’s mother.
Brooke Burns, a friend of the family, is helping put the day together. Plans include free peanuts, face painting and Rainbow the Clown and his balloon art for the kids. Burns said MaryGrace is a very special little girl and anyone who meets her falls in love with her.
“She lights up the room wherever she goes,” her mother said. “She’s always the center of attention.”
But for MaryGrace, life is a little more difficult than it is for her friends. She has seizures several times each day and they are difficult and dangerous for the family.
“You can look out the door and she’ll be on her bike laid on the asphalt out there at the mailbox,” Nicole Rahn said. “It just happens that fast. You can look at the pool, and she’s lying face-down.”
She’s had the seizures since she was 8 months old. She was sick at 6 months so she was delayed in getting her shots and when she did get the shots, she started seizing two hours later.
In spite of all that, her family tries to make life as normal as possible for MaryGrace. Her sisters, Michaela, Miley and McKenzie, help watch over her and play with her as they go day to day. Burns said that after trying medications — she is on 18 pills a day — and special diets, the family is pinning their hopes now on a split brain surgery known as a Callosotomy procedure. The family will travel to the Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta for the surgery on Sept. 17.
A wishing well will be onsite on “MayMay’s Day” for cards, children’s artwork and anyone wishing to make a donation to the family.
“We’d like to thank the community for all that they’ve always been supportive of MaryGrace,” Nicole Rahn said. “We definitely appreciate our friends for pulling this event together.”
