Local author writes children’s book on epilepsy
[October 28, 2026]
Kristina M. Alberts is a local
author from Emden who wrote You, Me and Epilepsy, a children's book
aimed at educating young ones about epilepsy and how individuals and
families cope with it. Alberts is also the founder of The You & Me Book
Co. with plans to write at least two more books covering other topics.
Lincoln Daily News recently had a chance to sit down with Alberts and
learn more about her book and motivation behind writing it.
The story of You, Me and Epilepsy is one inspired by real life events in
Alberts’s life. She shared that her son, James, had his first grand mal
seizure just before his second birthday. Grand mal seizures, officially
called Tonic-clonic seizures, are the most violent form of seizure.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tonic-clonic
seizures “cause muscle stiffness and rhythmic jerking,” and can cause
loss of consciousness. “[James] was hospitalized and coded the same
day,” Alberts said. After spending three days in the hospital, James was
diagnosed with general epilepsy.
Alberts said that the next four years, leading up to today, have been a
long journey. “We walked through the stages of medication, what that
meant for him, any side effects and working through all of that with
him. It was just this long journey.”
James now sees a specialist in Chicago. Unfortunately, he also regularly
suffers from absence seizures. Unlike Tonic-clonic seizures, absence
seizures usually cause the person to “stare into space, blink their eyes
quickly, [and] make chewing or hand movements,” according to the CDC.
According to Alberts, these smaller seizures “can be triggered by a
multitude of things. Lighting, excitement, eating.”
This requires James and his family to make trips to the hospital and
spend lots of time in waiting rooms. These waiting rooms were where
Alberts first noticed something. “I had found that in waiting rooms,
there wasn’t a lot of material that was geared toward explanation of
epilepsy for kids,” Alberts said. “Over the years, I have logged diaries
and journals of our journey and just decided to put pen to paper one
day, and that’s where our book came from.”
You, Me and Epilepsy walks through a day in the life of someone with
epilepsy. It covers this daily life from a multitude of perspectives.
“What that means for your friends and family, what that means education
wise, for the medication… it explains the in-doctor visits, what EEG’s
are, what that means for the little one who's going through all the
testing… and then the educational piece afterward for extended family.”
Since James has an older brother, Austin, Alberts explained that the
book also looks at epilepsy from the perspective of a sibling who does
not have it. “It’s just a huge educational piece from beginning to end
and everything in between.”
[to top of second column]
|
Alberts started the You & Me Book Co. after You, Me and Epilepsy
went to print with their California publishing company. Alberts
has plans for two more books in a similar style to address other
experiences that she and her family have gone through. Her next
two planned books are You, Me and Autism, and You, Me and the
Notorious Tree Nut. These two books will be based on James’s
autism and his peanut allergies, and the experiences the Alberts
had navigating those. “All three of these books come from
personal experiences that we have had with our son,” Alberts
said.
Alberts said that her family is integral to these stories,
especially autism. James’s grandfather takes an interest in his
hobbies. His brother Austin is very understanding and can
sometimes get James to communicate during difficult moments when
Alberts and her husband cannot.
The You & Me Book Co. has a
Facebook page people can follow to stay up to date on these
upcoming books. You, Me and Epilepsy can be found through
Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, and Barnes & Noble. The book will
also soon be available to buy at Ink & Imprint in Lincoln.
[Matt Boutcher]
 |
