DSF Parent Ambassadors

Melissa is the proud mom to four boys. Her and her husband, Jim make their home in Ketchikan, Alaska, a small island on the SE tip. Her son, Owen, was diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome at three years of age. She credits awareness and research for her son’s early diagnosis. Her passion for advocacy has led […]

Richard was born, raised, and currently resides in Enumclaw, WA.  He has spent most of his career working in a local manufacturing plant programming welding robots and as an IT Analyst.  He is married and has two boys, Owen and Zachary.  Richard now spends most of his time troubleshooting and repairing off-road vehicles and buggies. 

Colleen and her husband, David, live in Madison, Wisconsin and are proud parents to three adult children, one of whom lives with Dravet syndrome. Colleen’s education is in journalism and marketing. In her early career, she worked at public relations agencies in Minneapolis and Madison and had a small consulting firm. A consummate Jane-of-all-trades, her

Tina’s son Ryan was diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome at the age of six but had been having seizures from nine weeks old. It took 3 different Neurologists to figure it out. Tina has shared and will continue to share her story and that is why she became an Ambassador for the Midwest Region. Unfortunately, Ryan

Jen is originally from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, and her family currently resides in Verona, PA (near Pittsburgh). She and her husband Chris have been married since 2014 and have two beautiful daughters: Maggie, age 6, and Cora, age 3.  Cora was diagnosed in 2021 at 9 months young with Dravet Syndrome.  Jen is a licensed geriatric

Kayci Capps- MO (Midwest) Kayci is a mom to three amazing kids, Benjamin, William, and Charlotte. She is also a Kindergarten teacher at a local public school. Her husband, Adam, is in the Air Force and they currently live near St. Louis, Missouri. Her middle son, William, was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome at 6 months

Morgan Turpin – California Morgan lives just north of San Diego with her husband Sean and their son and daughter. Their oldest, Shayne (now 11), was diagnosed with a mutation in the SCN1A gene when he was fourteen months old. It would take another ten months before he would officially receive a diagnosis of Dravet syndrome.

Karen Masters Foster – California Karen lives in Northridge, CA with her husband Jermaine and their 4 children, Audrey, Miles, Clover, and Scarlet. Miles was 2 yrs old when genetic testing revealed he had an SCN1A mutation. Though initially diagnosed with GEFS+, at age 4 Miles was officially diagnosed with Dravet syndrome. From the beginning, Karen

Amy Lopez – MA Amy lives in northeast Massachusetts with her husband Lenny and their two children Becca and Isaias. In 2012 Isaias was diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome at 16 months old. Amy quickly became involved in the DSF Facebook group where she found support and lifelong friendships. Amy and her family have hosted and