On November 16, 1978, Sabrina Laurel Wiman came into this world in Boulder, CO. She was a beautiful healthy and happy baby and toddler. That changed in 1982. Sabrina had her first small seizure. It was explained to us that many children experience seizures, and the condition would likely fade as she grew. That didn’t happen; her seizures continued a more regular basis and finally, when she was 10 years old, a second opinion was sought at Children’s Hospital in Denver.

She had a brain tumor – a large one, in the temporal region, and, although benign, her seizures continued after resection surgery. She had epilepsy, and most likely would suffer from this disease the rest of her life. She could live a normal life, though, with medication mostly controlling the seizures. And live, she did.

Sabrina defied the odds, graduating from college and becoming certified as a special education teacher. She had occasional seizures, almost all of them in the early morning. But she never let it slow her down, often returning to work that very day after resting. She married the love of her life in 2007, and gave birth to two beautiful children, Sam, born in 2008 and Aubrey in 2011.

Her career blossomed when she left teaching and became a consultant in early childhood intervention. She worked with babies from birth to three-years, teaching at-risk moms how to interact with their little ones, and referring the tiny clients for special services when needed.

COVID had a huge impact (not a good one) on Sabrina. Her stress level was off the charts as her husband lost his job, she had to adapt her job to virtual services only and overseeing her two children home attending school through the Internet. Then she had a massive seizure. She never regained consciousness. Her death certificate said she died as a result of SUDEP, Sudden Unexplained Death from Epilepsy. Her family was in shock. What was SUDEP, and why did she suddenly die from it? She had always made it back from every seizure to resume her life. Would it have turned out differently had Sabrina known about SUDEP, and had been able to mitigate her stress?

Sabrina was a beautiful person from the inside out. She had a huge heart; and lived her life from that heart. If you were her friend, you were the luckiest person in the world, because she would do anything for you. She adored her little family and loved her extended family. She was such a sensitive person, and could read distress in others, and always put others before her own needs. She was dedicated in her professional life, working with others (at risk teens at a treatment center; and special education fourth graders, and her tiny, disadvantaged babies and toddlers) was her passion. She had the compassion to touch others and change lives for the better. And she could run- she competed in several marathons; and ski – an angel floating down the trails – and teach outdoor skills. On skis she climbed major mountains in Colorado. Her greatest passion of all was her munchkins, Sam and Aubrey. They were 12 and 8 when she died. Now they have no mom.

Sabrina would be so thrilled to know that a memorial fund has been created in her name at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine; not because of her name on it, but because through direct services, this fund will serve families who are dealing with epilepsy. Promoting scholarly activity to faculty, trainees and the staff of UNM Epilepsy Center, and in our rural state, the fund will broaden the pipeline to services available at UNM.  It is the only fund at the University of New Mexico dedicated to epilepsy research and education. Although started from gifts honoring Sabrina’s memory, now we realize we can build a legacy to her life.

Please help us do this by gifting any dollar amount you can or create an additional challenge!

I am Sabrina’s mom and I am pledging $5,000 as a match , dollar for dollar, up to that amount to get this campaign started. It means the world to me. Thank you!

-Belinda Jentzen