Daniels Family update
November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month
The thing about running a small family farm business is how woven together our personal life and business life are. Which most of the time can be such a beautiful thing but when there are challenges in either, which there always are- it just can’t be helped that the other won’t be affected.
Going into 2025, my goal was to stay laser focused on our businesses because of our rapid growth they needed our full attention. I turned down some cool opportunities because I didn’t want anything to distract me away from our plans and goals. Well, you know that old saying if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans…
In January 2025, just a few weeks after her second birthday, our little Nellie Jo had two episodes two days in a row where she just went blank. Kind of like she was going to pass out but didn’t go pale in the face, just stopped dead in her tracks for about ten seconds. I thought it was odd and that I was crazy.
About six weeks later she did it again. I made an appointment with her primary care but she couldn’t be seen for a few days, we went to our amazing cranial sacral/chiropractor but things began to progress rapidly.
Over the next few days, we now know that she was having focal seizures and had up to six the day I took her into the emergency room. I was told to capture as many as I could on video which was very helpful for the doctors when she was finally seen in the emergency room that day and the days following. Everyone moved very quickly as soon as they saw them. But when I look back on those videos, I can see how scared we all were and how those days will be imprinted on all of us forever.
Nellie was admitted to the hospital and transferred to Rochester, MN at the beginning of March. There she spent three days undergoing EEG testing which is having over 30 electrodes attached to her head and hooked to cords and couldn’t leave her hospital room. She also had a brain MRI. Both tests yielded abnormal results.
March 2025 Nellie getting her EEG tests.
Nellie has two large masses on the right side of her brain which caused her seizures. From imaging we know that they are tissue filled so are either benign tumors or more than likely tissue that didn’t develop properly.
After three days of monitoring in Rochester, she was put on medication and we were sent home to manage her diagnosis of epilepsy.
Over the next five months, Nellie continued to have many seizures and adverse side effects from her medication. It was such a scary and stressful time and had many phone and zoom calls with her team in Rochester.
Finally, we found the right medication combination and dose and we have been able to keep her seizures at bay for the time being. She had a follow-up appointment with her neurologist yesterday and we were reminded to enjoy this break in seizure activity but that because of the masses on Nellie’s brain, she will more than likely have seizures again. It may be while she has the flu and can’t absorb her medication or when she outgrows her dosage which we won’t know until she has a breakthrough seizure.
The goal for epilepsy treatment is 100% freedom from seizures and in her neurologist opinion, more than likely, Nellie won’t be able to do that without surgery to remove the masses, if surgery is a possibility. We won’t know more about that until Nellie undergoes more testing.
For now, we are going to give us all a little break, enjoy the holidays and see what happens this winter before meeting with her team again next year if nothing happens before.
November 2025- On the 16th floor of Mayo Clinic.
Nellie Jo has been so incredibly brave through all of this. I really can’t believe what a little warrior she is. All of the kids have showed such resilience and have carried more than their fair share.
Nellie continues to hit all of her developmental milestones. When this all started, she was barely talking and now less than a year later- she never stops talking. She sings and dances and is doing her “school lessons” right along with her big siblings.
We didn’t share her diagnosis outside of our close circle because we were really unsure of what this all meant for our sweet baby and wanted to protect her privacy. And I was having a hard time managing my emotions around it and couldn’t handle much more beyond what was directly in front of me.
Now, with a little space and clarity, this experience has become a source of inspiration for us all. It’s a reminder of what I’ve dedicated my life’s work to — producing nutrient-dense, high-quality food for my family and my community.
It’s why I work so hard to make sure my children are filling their bellies with things that nourish and strengthen them — to help protect against the illnesses and imbalances that we can avoid. Because there will always be things like this that we can’t avoid, no matter how hard we try.
It’s also why we say no to shortcuts, to compromise, and to anything that doesn’t align with what we believe in. Our work isn’t just about growing food — it’s about growing resilience, connection, and health from the ground up.
So, as we move forward, we do so with gratitude, perspective, and a renewed sense of purpose — both as a family and as farmers. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.
More updates coming soon on HOMESCHOOL and plans for 2026.
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November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month. There are over 3.4 million who live with this chronic (meaning there is no cure) condition. It comes in all shapes and sizes.