Treatment of seizures, not an easy task

Robby Kaminski-Duke has one passion in life - riding his dirt bike.

"I've dislocated my shoulder, fractured my wrist," Robby said.

But these injuries aren't his main health concern. You see, Robby suffers from severe seizures.
This is where Robby had his first big seizure. He was 4 years old and swimming with his brothers and sisters in the family swimming pool. When he went to the bottom his mom just thought he was being a goofy kid. When he didn't come up for air after 45 seconds she knew something was wrong.

"We jumped in immediately and pulled him out and that seizure lasted almost three hours," Robby’s mom Alicia Kaminski said.

Do you worry about them riding bikes? Alicia said, “I do, but no more than any other motocross mom."

"I wear a chest protector, gloves, helmets," Robby said.

He also wears a wrist watch looking device. It is a magnet that activates a Vagus Nerve Stimulator or VNS. It's a pacemaker like device implanted on the left side of Robby's chest.

"It stimulates left vagus nerve,” child neurologist Dr. Jasna Kojic said. “Vagus nerve then stimulates nuclei in the brain that hopefully prevents further hyperactivity of the brain wave that can trigger seizures."

Swiping his magnet usually stops a seizure immediately, but it doesn't stop all of them.
"When I raised my concerns about his dirt bike racing they stated I could fix a wire, but not a broken heart," Dr. Kojic said.

As Robby follows his dreams of becoming a professional dirt bike racer, his mom watches knowing a seizure can happen anytime.

VNS therapy is only for people who have not been able to control their seizures with medications.
Robby Duke's situation is atypical. Dr. Kojic says she does not advise people with epilepsy to take part in contact sports.