When Samantha Butler's daughter Griggs had her first seizure at one and a half years old, the hospital told her it was probably nothing. Samantha pushed anyway, because her mom had epilepsy, and something in her gut said this wasn't nothing.

She was right. Griggs never stopped having seizures.

What followed was six years of medications, EEGs, PET scans, MRIs, week-long hospital stays where doctors deliberately withdrew her meds to trigger seizures so they could watch her brain, and eventually a gentle suggestion from Samantha's medical team in Charleston that maybe this was just going to be her daughter's life.

Samantha didn't accept that either.

A friend of a friend had moved to Charlotte to work in pediatric neurology. Three days after Samantha's information was passed along, she had an appointment. The Charlotte team found something MUSC had missed: a small misfiring cluster buried in a deep fold of Griggs' right frontal lobe. They removed it. Seven months later, Griggs has not had a single daytime seizure.

In this episode, Kim Atwood sits down with Samantha to talk about what six years of medical advocacy for a child with epilepsy actually looks like, what it costs a mom emotionally when she goes into task mode and doesn't stop, and why she ultimately walked away from a successful boutique business she had built from nothing to be fully present for her family.

In this conversation:

• Recognizing Griggs' first seizure and why Samantha pushed for testing when doctors dismissed it
• Six years of medications, EEGs, and hospital stays, and the emotional toll of task mode parenting
• What it felt like when doctors implied she should just accept this as Griggs' life
• Finding a pediatric epileptologist in Charlotte who saw what others had missed
• The motor mapping test that showed her daughter's brain in real time
• Brain surgery, recovery, and life seven months post-op
• Running a boutique through all of it, then making the decision to sell
• What it takes to know when to walk away from something you worked hard to build

This one is for every mom who has ever sat in a doctor's office and thought: I know something is wrong, even when nobody else believes her yet.

About Samantha Butler Samantha Butler is a former early childhood educator and boutique co-owner who spent six years advocating for her daughter through a pediatric epilepsy diagnosis, multiple treatment approaches, and ultimately brain surgery. Her story is one of tenacity, medical advocacy, and knowing when to let go of one season so you can fully show up for another.

About SpeakHER Sessions SpeakHER Sessions is a podcast for women who are finding their voice, or finding it again. Host Kim Atwood sits down with real women to talk about the experiences that shaped them, the seasons that stretched them, and the confidence they've built along the way. New episodes every Monday. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Follow us @speakhersessions.

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