b'Taking the Mystery out ofEEGs and EpilepsyA teacher in search of a book ends up writing her ownBY MALIA RULON HERMANDanielle Perrotta (L) says the char-acters in "Lina\'s EEG Adventure" were inspired by Miranda West (R). Photo by Cris Valencia. W henc - e l l eBella,So,shegotcreative,putting t h etogetherherownslideshowof d o images, which she posted on Face-tortoldbook as a way of sharing what her fam-D a n i ily was going through.PerrottathatWhat happened next could be called fateherdaughter,or quintessential Maplewood.would need to have an EEG, the longtime teacher im- It turns out that the father of one of Perrottas former mediately started searching for picture books to help her show herstudents at Tuscan owns a book publishing business. And not only young child what the test involved. that: Both he and his daughter, who had been in Perrottas class, have epilepsy. I kept thinking with my teacher brain, how can I explain this? said Per- Thomas West, a longtime reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the owner rotta, who, at the time, was a fifth-grade math teacher at Tuscan Elementaryof Maplewood-based Amarna Books & Media, said as soon as he saw Perrottas School in Maplewood. slide show, it touched a nerve. Most people would be hard pressed to explain that an EEG, short for electro- We have lived through lots of EEGs, West said, explaining the journey his encephalogram, is a test that helps doctors detect unusual or abnormal electricalfamily took in trying to get the right diagnosis and treatment for their daughter, activity in the brain by attaching dozens of wires to the scalp.Miranda, who is now 18 and a senior at Columbia High School in Maplewood.The test is one of the most effective ways for doctors to diagnose epilepsy, aI got in touch with Danielle and I said, There is a book here, West said.neurological disorder that affects children, men and women of all ages, races andMany coffees later, which in typical Maplewood fashion were imbibed at The ethnic groups. About 3.4 million people in the U.S. live with active epilepsy;Bread Stand and the former Cedar Ridge Bakery & Caf, Perrotta and West un-93,000 of thoseincluding 12,000 childrenlive in New Jersey, according toveiled a book that fills the void they and other parents had encounteredLinas the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.EEG Adventure.Despite that, Perrotta couldnt find a picture book about epilepsy.The chapter book, published in November to commemorate National Epi-28/ matters magazine / hearth & home 2021'