The diagnosis of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy that mainly affects children, upende Samuel's life when he was only 21 months, and his mom was pregnant with his little brother Raphael.

This syndrome caused seizures several times a day. Some of the seizures lasted 48 to 72 hours, and unfortunately, they did not go away. His parents had to travel from Pont-Rouge, near Quebec City, to The Montreal Children's Hospital, while Samuel was convulsing in the back seat. Emergency medication was administered, and each time, Samuel was overcome by intense fatigue.

Now imagine going from 50 epileptic seizures a day to zero, and from a wheelchair to being able to walk and get around on your own. If this sounds extraordinary, it's just the beginning for Samuel. 

On February 22, his life was completely changed after he underwent an extremely rare brain surgery performed by Dr. Roy Dudley, a neurosurgeon at The Montreal Children's Hospital. A callosotomy involves separating the two hemispheres of the brain to reduce or even eliminate epileptic seizures that were damaging the brain. The hope is one day Samuel will be able to speak. 

The surgery was a success. Since the callosotomy, Samuel has not had any more seizures. From needing a wheelchair, he can now walk and move around on his own, and language learning is possible. Samuel has started working with a tablet, and since he is no longer exhausted by convulsions, this endearing, energetic, sporty boy, who loves to go adaptive skiing, is learning and thriving.