Pause for Reflection

Diablo lake is the second of three reservoirs created along the Skagit river in northern Washington state in North Cascades National Park. This lake was formed with the completion of the Diablo dam in 1930 to generate hydroelectric power for the city of Seattle. The resulting series of reservoir lakes fed by glacier melt provide a stunning backdrop for any high alpine outdoor adventure. This backdrop also offers an opportunity to reflect.

Diablo dam has stood for nearly 100 years. At the time of its construction, it was the tallest dam in the world at 389 feet. Billions of gallons of water have passed through its turbines in that time; water that has generated billions of kilowatt hours of electricity to power Seattle. This dam, along with the two others (Gorge and Ross) have helped to fuel Seattle and all the innovation that has come from this city in this century. Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Jimi Hendrix, Boeing, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Amazon …and on and on. These waters or this dam could not take full credit for all the innovation and advancements that have come from such a structure, but there is no denying that it has been an important and influential contributor to those innovations for such a long period of time.

As I stood on the side of Thunder Knob overlooking these beautiful waters, I couldn’t help but reflect on the fact that our lab plays a similar role in the discovery of new treatments for epilepsy. We have helped to characterize, i.e. support, the discovery of several new therapies that have been approved by the FDA. We develop new models that support the identification of new therapies. We have described previously unidentified adverse effects liability in mouse seizure models that were otherwise missed for decades. Yet, we are just one lab that provides an essential contribution to the larger effort to identify and advance new treatments for the management of epilepsy.

Like the Diablo dam, our work and our contributions to the health and well-being of patients with epilepsy will stand the test of time. With any luck, many new molecules will pass through our laboratory over the years that will in some way improve the lives of people living with epilepsy. It is critical to pause and reflect on this work, this time, this fight to change the world for people living with epilepsy.

Like the Skagit river, epilepsy persists. We must work together, in a coordinated manner, to change the trajectory of disease for people living with this disorder.

 

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