Don’t Be Afraid To Talk About Epilepsy

I was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2018 at the age of 52. The type of seizures that I experience are focal impaired awareness seizures. What I was experiencing was not my idea of what epilepsy can be. I thought that what was going on with me was related to stress or anxiety. So, I kept it a secret. Keeping this to myself impacted me mentally, emotionally, and physically. My job performance progressively got worse, my relationship with my wife was negatively affected, and I lost about 25 pounds. Along my journey, I visited many different doctors, including medical doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists, but epilepsy never came up.

I had seizures almost daily for about 10 years before my wife, Jill, realized what was going on and encouraged me to see a neurologist, where I was quickly diagnosed with epilepsy. Within three months, we were able to control my seizures with medication, and I have been seizure-free for about five years now. During the period from diagnosis, until my seizures were controlled, I relied on family and friends to drive me to work. I work an hour away, and it was amazing how many people were willing to step up and help. One day, I thanked my friend Joe for what he was doing for me, and he quickly said that he knew I would do the same for him. This is true. People are kind, so do not keep epilepsy to yourself. Let people who are close to you know what you are going through.

Being diagnosed with epilepsy felt like a huge weight was lifted from me. Epilepsy has never been an easy thing for me to talk about, but over time, it has become easier. I attended my first Walk to END EPILEPSY® a few months after my diagnosis. Being a part of this community and seeing firsthand how epilepsy impacts people going about their everyday lives made me feel so much more comfortable about living with epilepsy.

Moving forward, I hope to be able to be an active part of the epilepsy community, raise awareness of how common this is, and help others to become more comfortable with living with epilepsy. I wanted to tell the story of my journey to raise awareness and to help people realize that many others are living with epilepsy every day. Be aware that epilepsy is more common than you realize. This community cares and wants to hear your story, so don't be afraid to talk about it. You may be surprised how many people are willing to listen.