Never let Your epilepsy make You feel less of a person. There are a number of very well recognized people in the world that have not let their epilepsy stop them from becoming who or what they want to be. One example of this: John Roberts jr. He is presently the Chief Justice of the US supreme court-graduated from Harvard University.

there are struggles and there are gifts. For years I've been a community organizer and encouraging people to care for themselves, to eat well, to rest, to step back from the action sometimes. Then I started having seizures and finally had to listen to myself. I'm eating better, stepping back, caring for myself. I've worked for a long time with people who've faced many forms of oppression. Epilepsy sometimes gives me a little picture of what that really means, helps me understand all my privileges better and know who I am and what my life work is. It's here. It's with me. I can dream that someday it's going to go away, but that's a dream. Meanwhile, I get to feel sorry for myself, operate in denial, or celebrate the gifts I've been given and do what I can to make my life and that of others better. I fluctuate between those, but I try to stick with the last one as much as I can. So, do I miss who I was-- some days, but mostly I am thankful for all the love that has brought me here.

Yes, I miss my life before I had epilepsy. I’ve had it for 5 years. Now I am a stay at home dad hoping my meds will eventually help me more. I am 55 and I had a great career, I traveled. I was moving up the corporate ladder. Then 5 years ago my wife died from brain cancer. That stress coupled with a head injury when was young triggered my first seizure, then diagnosed with epilepsy. It is hard to admit that I have epilepsy because I feel like it makes me so “different”. Luckily, I have re-married. I miss driving. It is hard on my wife to do all of the driving. I miss having the freedom I had before. I miss working and being a productive part of society. I am thankful for My Epilepsy Team.

I've had seizures all my life but didn't know what they were until the grand mal hit when I was 36. Then the ordeal of various meds. I'm scheduled to go into the EEG video monitoring unit in Feb. We know it's a lesion in the right temporal lobe but I have always been leery of surgery. So I don't know what will come of this hospital testing? I have also started to use Cannabis oil every day with my meds and then valium after I have seizures to stop them & the anxiety of having them.
Remember to do what you can each day- find new outlets for growth and happiness.

I was only five years old when I was diagnosed with epilepsy so I don't remember a lot before having seizures. I do miss when they were only pedit mol versus grand mol but I am happy that I was diagnosed because it was part of my inspiration to study special education and also give back to those who helped me through my journey. As I approach my 20th birthday this weekend and just had a seizure this past monday I will admit it is frustrating still not having some answers on why they happen and why they are happening more often since I went away to college. But I try to be tough and look at my epilepsy as a good thing versus a bad thing.