Today's guest, Elizabeth is mother to 4 very young children. Her oldest, Louie, was born with a genetic condition so rare that he was only the 12th person in the world diagnosed with it. Not only that, but the mutation was "De Novo" - Latin for "in the beginning", meaning that this genetic disorder did not come from Elizabeth and her husband’s genes; it was a mutation that sprang up in Louie, out of nothing, it would seem.

When Louie was 5, just as Elizabeth was hitting her stride as a special needs mom, an added difficulty arrived also seemingly "de novo", from nowhere, literally overnight. One evening, they all went to bed and woke up at midnight because Louie was having a seizure. Then he had another, and another, and another, all in the space of just a few hours. Since then, Louie has had dozens - sometimes even 40 or 50 seizures daily. Every day, until, surprisingly doctors suggested the Keto diet, which has given Louie some (although not complete) relief, at least temporarily.

But in the midst of all this talk about De Novo, out of nowhere, and overnight - Elizabeth does not believe that there was anything De Novo about the turns her life has taken. She believes, quite strongly, as you'll hear, that God actually chose her for this and gave her everything she needed - from her Puerto Rican heritage, the words of her wise Abuela, strong family support from both sides - Puerto Rican and German - and the faith to do everything she can to make life for not only Louie, but also many others like him, better. She has started a non-profit called Louie's HUWE with the goal of connecting, serving, and supporting other families like hers and raising money to fund research into ways to improve the quality of life for kids like Louie.

Today, Elizabeth is sharing so many personal & really intimate stories with us, from memories of her Abuela's Pollo Frito to the moment of Louie's birth. I’m so glad to have her on and so glad you’re here to join us.

Instagram: @louies_huwe

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/LouiesHUWE

Instagram: @unbreakablelouiecoulter

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