Seizures took over a child's life!

Since she was born Meaghann Muncy, 15, Dillsboro, has been in and out of the hospital. Those trips are at an end.Meaghann died Monday, Sept. 10, after years of fighting for her life.She was born to Sandy and Vernon Muncy Aug. 19, 1992, with a rare congenital brain abnormality, hemimegalecephaly, which causes the right half of her brain to be abnormally large and malformed.

Meaghann's malformed brain cause multiple and severe seizures.In 2004, she underwent a risky and rare surgery to remove the malformed hemisphere of her brain in hopes of halting the seizures.But the seizures didn't stop. While she never had friends in terms of other teenagers, she had many people praying for her and her older siblings supporting her and loving her.Her mother, Sandy, is a tireless advocate for special education, and works for IN*Source, a state resource agency for people with disabilities.

Meaghann never knew what she was missing, "we felt it more than she did," said Sandy Muncy.Meaghann has been in Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center's intensive care since Thursday, Sept. 6. She was fighting to the end, breathing over the top of the ventilator, heart still pumping, but all signs pointed to a different journey home than her parents'. She was heavily medicated, but was still having massive seizures.

"For years we've wondered if a trip to the hospital would be the last trip," said Sandy Muncy.Now that time has come, and her family wants Meaghann's life to be celebrated. Even as she lay in her ICU room she was fighting, and her parents made the difficult decision to remove her breathing tube Monday, Sept. 10."I told her a long time ago 'no retreat, no defeat,' I guess she's still taking me seriously," said Sandy.So many times Meaghann has hovered near death, but fought back. This was the last fight, however, and "I hope her life has meant something," said Sandy.

Through the years many people have supported the family, and the family invites people to send them happy stories and memories. Comments and stories can be posted on www.registerreverb.com."We were lucky to have had her, and are blessed to have Meg be a part of our lives," said her mother.

As Meaghann died she was surrounded by family, friends and hospital staff. As word spread in the hospital many people have come to see Meghann. Her sister, Auberne, and brother, Zachary, were at her bedside.Auberne was slated to leave for London, England, to attend grad school. That has been temporarily postponed. Her brother Zach graduated from South Dearborn High School in June and is a student at Cincinnati State studying culinary arts.The Muncys are planning a celebration for Meghann.

"I don't want gloom and doom. She has done things she was never supposed to do." She has lived longer and achieved more than many children, said her mother.Life will go on, and Sandy Muncy will put one foot in front of the other, and find a new path without her youngest child."I don't know what I'm going to do. I've been Meaghann's mom for so long," she said.

Funeral services Meaghann Mariah Muncy,15, Dillsboro, will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 14, at Rullman Hunger Denney Funeral Home, Aurora, with burial in Riverview Cemetery, Aurora. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, at the funeral home. There will be a meal gathering of friends and family following the graveside sevice at Church of Christ Dillsboro, Indiana.

She is survived by her parents, Vernon and Sandy Muncy of Dillsboro; a brother, Zachary Muncy, Dillsboro; a sister, Auberne Muncy, Dillsboro; paternal grandparents, Arville and Patricia Muncy, Lawrenceburg; paternal great-grandmother, Minnie Bell Muncy, Cincinnati.Memorials may be made to Epilepsy Council of Cincinnati or Special Kids Informed Parents. Call 1-812-926-1450 for the family to be notified of your donation with a card.