'Dine for a Cure': Family Struggles to Find Cure for Rare Form of Epilepsy

Max Meyerson was born a healthy and happy boy, but he had his first seizure when he was only 4 months old and life as his family knew it would never be the same again. 

He began to have frequent seizures of varying types, some lasting seconds, while others lasted an hour or more. When he was six months old, doctors recommended that Max gets a genetic test done to determine if he had Dravet Syndrome also know as Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy of Infancy (SMEI).

Two months later, his family received a positive test result telling them he had a mutated gene that gave him this type of epilepsy.

Max, now 8 years old, has a seizure every two weeks, for which he must be given medicine to make it stop. He takes three different types of anti-seizure medications daily and he is on a special diet to help control the seizures.

"He continues to have daily struggles secondary to a significant developmental delay, which has affected not only his ability to speak, but also to function like a typical 8-year-old boy," his grandmother Gemma Cuomo said.

Cuomo and her son Tom Cuomo are co-owners of Don Tommaso's Bistro Italiano in Yorktown. On Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6 they are sponsoring a "Dining for a Cure" to benefit the Dravet Syndrome Foundation. 10 percent of all sales will be donated to the foundation in honor of Max.

"Despite his medical condition and struggles, Max is a loving and happy boy who enjoys playing on his iPad, swimming, cooking, baking, and being silly," Cuomo said.

The Dravet Syndrome Foundation helps support research for the syndrome. 

"By supporting Dravet Syndrome Foundation you will be supporting Max and other children to help find a cure through research," Cuomo said.

The nonprofit organization The Dravet Syndrome Foundation (DSF) was founded in 2009. According to the foundation's website, the goal of the organization is to fast track research to find better treatments and a cure for the rare disorder. 

For more information about the Dravet Syndrome Foundation, click here.

Don Tommaso's Bistro Italiano is located at 334 Underhill Ave. in Yorktown Heights.

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