Liam’s Story
When Liam was only 2 years old, he began to experience delayed milestones like walking and talking. This led to hospital visits that included genetic testing, which revealed a predisposition to seizures. However, the hospital ran these tests before they received insurance’s approval (which likely would have never happened), so his diagnosis was a miracle and his sweet family describes this twist of fate as the “divine universe in play.” Shortly thereafter, Liam underwent an MRI that showed Pachygyria also known as Incomplete Lissencephaly, but beyond delays in walking and talking, Liam was symptom-free.
However, six months later, Liam experienced his first seizure lasting from 15-25 minutes. He was immediately rushed to Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, where doctors and therapists doubted he would ever walk or talk again. They came to realize that due to Liam’s Pachygyria, he had developed drug-resistant epilepsy.
At this point, Liam was enduring hundreds of seizures daily, in 5-second intervals, some requiring daily rescue medications like Diastat. His sweet mother Kaitlin always sang Andy Grammer’s “Don’t Give Up on Me” to calm him down and to time his seizures. If his seizures didn’t subside by the end of the song, she would administer the rescue meds. This relentless routine went on for seven exhausting months.
From 2020 to 2022, Liam was seizure-free with medication and therapy. However, in spring 2022, his seizures returned, and a new medication left him unable to walk or talk. By September 2023, he began tapering off that medication, and his beautiful personality slowly returned, becoming what his family calls “verbal-light.” Today, Liam experiences breaks from seizures but will require lifelong therapy intervention.
Ready for a Sweet Musical Surprise?
When Andy Grammer heard Liam’s story, the multi-platinum singer/songwriter was so inspired that he wanted to help create a little magic for Liam, his mom Kaitlin, dad Roy, and sister Emma. Andy personally invited the family to his show at The Buckhead Theatre on March 19th, treating them to VIP tickets, a private meet-and-greet, and an unforgettable night of music and fun.
That’s not all! Our good friends at Gas South know how to fuel a good dance party! Gas South wanted to make sure they had the best night ever, so they will added in a luxurious room at the St. Regis Hotel in Buckhead, meals,spending money, and souvenirs, so they could focus on singing, dancing, and making beautiful memories with their family. Talk about fuel for good!
Fast forward to showtime!
It was finally the night that Liam’s entire family was waiting for! As they walked out of their swanky hotel room to the Buckhead Theatre, they stumbled upon a few friendly faces – Bert Weiss and Kristin Klingshirn from The Bert Show! Liam and Emma ran into their arms with the warmest embrace!
Reunited for another magical adventure, they headed to the Buckhead Theatre, where they were escorted backstage to meet Andy Grammer. Kaitlin, Liam’s sweet mom, shared how Andy Grammer’s song “Don’t Give Up on Me” had been their anthem during Liam’s toughest moments, helping them push through every seizure. At that moment, Andy Grammer grabbed his guitar for a special acoustic performance of “Don’t Give Up on Me”, sung directly to Liam and his family – there wasn’t a dry eye baskstage!
After the meet-and-greet, the family headed to their VIP seats, but not before snagging Liam’s favorite snack, popcorn! Even better, the popcorn bucket was bottomless, so you can bet Liam filled up his bucket multiple times.
As the lights dimmed and the curtain rose, Andy Grammer took the stage, kicking off an epic dance party with smiles all around!
