The Children’s Hospital at Health Sciences Centre has a new space specifically for kids with epilepsy.

Specialized staff at the Pediatric Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, or EMU, have already treated a dozen patients. One of them is 12-year-old Morgan Walker.

Walker said Friday, at the unit’s official opening, that he was having so many seizures he was on a first name basis with the paramedics in his home city of Brandon.

“I was having about 10 a day, at least up to 9," he told CTV News.

Morgan’s mother Meredith Walker said three years ago they started down the path for her son to have brain surgery, because no other treatments were helping.

“At that point it was either going to British Columbia or Toronto for the surgery, there was nothing here," she said.

Plans changed when $2-million donation was given to the Children’s Hospital in May 2017, for a special unit for kids like Morgan.

Michael Schlater, the CEO of Domino’s Pizza of Canada, made the donation to allow families to receive epilepsy treatments in their home province.

“After thirty-five years with Domino’s Pizza Canada, it gives us great pride to be able to pay back our success in the city where everything started. Knowing we had a special part in helping Manitoban children and their families to remain here is heartwarming,” he said.

Schlater too has epilepsy, and has been seizure free for 6 years since undergoing surgery.

The EMU has 2 in-patient beds, a special monitoring unit, a separate room for patients to get and review EEGs, and two portable EEG machines.

The program has also allowed for two pediatric neurologists to be recruited to work in Manitoba, and staff have received specialized training.

In October of last year, Morgan was one of the first children to have surgery to treat his epilepsy at the Children’s Hospital.

Since then, he has only had 3 minor seizures, he said.

It’s estimated 100 children will be seen at this unit this year.

The Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba estimates there are 19,000 patients in the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority who have epilepsy. One-third of them are resistant to medication, and one half of those are children.