Our Son Adam
On a beautiful day in September 1994 Adam entered this world in a land or should I say on an island in the pacific. He was born in Kailua Hawaii to a wonderful woman, my wife Cindy. If God were to come tomorrow and gather his elect, and from them make up his jewels, she would be the one of greatest worth; A true pearl of great price.
At age seven, shortly after moving to Orlando, FL. Adam started exhibiting petit mal seizures; we did not know what these were, nor did we have the knowledge to recognize them; we thought they were only an escape mechanism he developed to deal with some of the pressures he was experiencing at school from some of the other kids/bullies. On the morning of April 13, 2002 Adam went into a full grand mal seizure; from that day forward our family life has been different.
Adam was diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis with multiple tubers in his brain. At first our neurologist, Dr. Ron Davis, was able to control the seizures with medicine, however it did not last long. As the seizures returned, his medicine was adjusted; Multiple medicines with multiple side effects and in the end multiple failures. Treating or trying to control epilepsy with medicine is more of an art than a science. We found ourselves over the years trying this and trying that only to see if it would work with Adam’s chemistry.
Slowly some of Adam’s skills began to deteriorate; two areas in general. One is his ability to process thoughts into words; his mind would know the thoughts to express but his speech processing center could not find the words to verbalize the thoughts. As it turns out one of the tumors on his brain lives in the general area of speech processing causing interference with his language. A second area where we noticed an issue is Adam’s ability to grasp and understand social situations. One of his greatest joys come from social interaction with others; as interactions with others could take him to emotional peeks they would also drop him into an emotional pit. As others didn’t understand him and turned away, he turned inward not understanding the isolation.
With the deterioration of his skills, failure of multiple medications and being drugged on anti-epilepsy meds to the point of toxicity we prayed and searched for something else. After several studies and many nights in the hospital the surgery option was breeched. We were in denial for a time; sought spiritual help and eventually we were introduced to Dr. Lee. Dr. Lee is a neurologist recently transplanted to Orlando. He has had 10 years of surgical experience with epilepsy patients. He has put together a team of specialist to deal with this disorder.
After months of indecision, numerous nights of wetted eyes bound together by the chains of a broken heart; As a Child to a Parent, as a father to The Father I cried out to Him, Him whom we worship, if this is the path we should take. No sound of cannons rang in my ears, no lights in the sky pointed to the path of wholeness, yet we found ourselves being gently nudged by a kind loving Father.
Today our son, Adam, entered on a journey that will most likely change his mortal experience. As I have been typing, the doctors have been cutting… but more to follow on that.
Turning the clock back a few days, Adam, with the kind help of others was able to do the near impossible. Against the odds he was able to complete his Eagle Scout Project, present himself at his Eagle Scout Board of Review and become the newest Eagle Scout… at least for a short time…
Thank you for taking time to follow our boy… My heart is raised to a loftier sphere, my eyes are blurred by the tears of eternal emotions. We so much appreciate your love and prayers.
Adam Hawkes 
I feel honored and privileged to know your family and have been inspired by Adam’s efforts over the years. May God bless all of you in your moment of need.
– Nathan Winchester
My thoughts and prayers are with you, Adam and the rest of your family. I love the Hawkes family and have fond memories of you all from my year in Orlando. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
My family and I have Adam in our thoughts and prayers. He will be fine, Heavenly Father is by his side guiding him through this ordeal. We love you all and if we can help in anyway please let us know. Hank Snow and family
Adam, you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers. May God heal you quickly, you have to much good to offer this world! The Dudley Family
God is at the helm. I know u all know that. I love hearing the updates and trust in our father’s plan. I love you all! Keep strong, Adam!
Echoing what has been said, it is a privilege and honor to know the Hawkes family. Thanks for telling Adams story and allowing us to share the Journey with you all. We love you, you’re in our thoughts and prayers. We’re behind you, wanting to help in anyway possible.
Love, The Galloway Family
Our thoughts and prayers are with Adam, and the family. I thought I knew Adams story, but I learned so many new details. Thank you for taking the time to share. We all learn, and grow from life’s challenges. If there is anything you need, let me know.
Stan
On behalf of our family, we are keeping Adam and your family in our constant thoughts and prayers. All of you are very special to us. As his “Chili’s Apprentice”, Richard is particularly close to Adam and loves him very much; they share a truly special “hot sauce afficionado” relationship that will always stay “very warm.” Please keep us informed and we will try to visit Adam when he is not quite so uncomfortable with pain. May HF keep and bless you all.
von Hack Family
Thank you for keeping us all updated and letting us be part of your family. Just know you are all in our prayers. If you need anything please do not hesitate to let us know. Adam get well soon. I am so looking forward to seeing you graduate next year. Love you and God Bless you.
Your idea to open the eyes of the weary is genuine, as we learn more about a delicate issue that is hardly ever discussed in a forum as such. This truly helps us all to understand what he/you have endured and where the journey has taken all of you. We all have faith as it is tested more often than we want to share, but those of us that know the power of prayer, understand its everlasting affect on those that ask for it and receive it. We will continue to monitor your inputs and ask those that know him and of him to keep him and his family in their thoughts as they endure their daily challenges.
Adam in my nephew and a constant source of inspiration. He is a incredible young man with huge potential. As someone who has known Adam since birth I am continuously amazed at his ability to “never meet a stranger”. He is always willing to talk with anyone at great length and show genuine interest. He displays a heartfelt emotion when sharing stories with you & I have always been impressed with his ability to get along with everyone. Adam has silently gone about dealing with his health issues, never complaining and never letting them define him as a person. He remains true to his faith even through the most trying of circumstances.
Adam our thoughts and prayers are with you as always. We are monitoring your progress & hope to see you up & around very soon. I can’t begin to tell you how proud we all are of you. Hang in there & we will all be out in Sequim goofing off at the farm very soon. We love you!
Miles, Susan, Jason & Jamie Hawkes
Thanks Brother.. We love you and Miss all of you.Take care
Hi Adam,
I just want you to know how brave you are. From the time we were little you were always picking up critters and snakes, you were never afraid of anything. You have carried that wonderful quality through your life and continue to amaze me with your fearlessness. I think about you often, and wish that we didn’t live so far away. Hopefully we can all meet up at grandmother and grandfathers soon! Hang in there & you will be in my prayers. I love you!
Love,
Jamie
Adam, your father is doing his very best to teach us and guide us through his vision of your daily activities. His strength is your father’s guiding force that he draws from you, the family, and those that share their faith, hope and charity shadowed by our almighty king, a faithful and merciful healer.
Adam,
So many people have been inspired by you. Including myself. You have always been such a special individual. I love how you can be so enthusiastic by every kind of reptile or unusual creature. And your vast knowledge on each of your pets is amazing. You are a constant teacher in so many ways.
My prayers and thoughts are with you and your family during this challenging time. I know that you and your family are incredibly strong. I pray that you’ll have a quick recovery and that you’ll be up to Washington to visit in the near future. We love you Adam and please know that we’re thinking of you.
Dear Adam “Trek Son”,
Your name is in our hearts and prayer more than daily in our home. We love you and will be following your progress. We feel blessed to call you a friend. Keep up the good fight. Love you.
Adam,
You are incredible. After reading through the journey you’ve been through, I’m astounded at the strength and bravery you’ve shown. It is so impressive that you have kept such an upbeat and positive attitude through everything. I want you to know that we are all praying for you.
You have a journey ahead of you that none of us are capable of. Your thirst for knowledge and life is something that I strive to have someday. I know that you’ll keep on fighting and you’ll come out of this stronger than ever.
Love, Jason
Adam, checking in on your journey. Your dad’s comment about down time and what a Marine would do brought back a flash from the past, a chuckle here and there, and a reminder on being prepared for the next unforeseen event.
Keep the faith, remain focus, steadfast. Allow your patience to be your guide. The team of wonder workers continue to surround you in all that you have done and will do.
Cheers Adam!