An Epilepsy Warrior's Journey

 Happiness is a state of mind. It is a complex emotion because there are unique ways how we approach it. This might be difficult to understand, but we have to create our own happiness and it does not come naturally. There are multiple ways  people with epilepsy show their happiness. Since we have mood swings (especially women) problems, happiness is a difficult challenge to face. However, there are unexpecting ways we create happiness. Passion is the answer in my heart.  I am happy about multiple aspects in my life. I have a wonderful family, friends, the epilepsy community, a job, school, and the most important thing is myself. Even if I have epilepsy, I still love myself and make my happiness happen. Since I was born with the passion for art, this has helped it grow every day. I specialize in drawing with pencil, painting, and paper mache.  I also specialize in  drawing plants and animals. My art instructor said my work is similar to the famous art...

I believe everyone should be treated equal.  People with epilepsy should have the right to be themselves and do what they want with an invisible disability.  I feel like an outcast sometimes because epilepsy makes me different from everyone else.  People think "she had a seizure and acts awkward" and is "missing out".  Epilepsy is something that is a part of me, but it is not who I am as a person.  Many people I know love video games or movies and due to flashing lights, I could have a seizure. However, not all flashing lights bother my health. Therefore, its a typical stereotype about how flashing lights affect epileptics.   Many people tend to have blinders when it comes to flashing lights.  One day a group of former friends were going to see a movie we all liked. I  asked if I could come and they said no.  Their blinders were on, seeing the worries in me rather than enjoying my company.  They don't have any epilepsy education and...

My family has been so supportive about myself having epilepsy.  They love my inside and out.  I love them farther than the moon and back.  My family has found there is more than just having epilepsy. We believe its more of a gift, rather than a disease.   They have made sure I was treated once I found out I had epilepsy,  instead of leaving me in the dark. Some people took the risk of me having brain surgery and even though it failed,  the thoughts are what counted.  I had to go through a recovery process after leaving the hospital and my family made sure to be by my side.   My mom has been my hero and gets a gold star of everything she has done for me. Making sure I'm happy, successful and proud. I could never do any of these risks if it wasn't for her. She's seen the best in me ever since I was born.  Thank you mom. I love you ❤️!   The power of family has helped me through the brightest and darkest times in my life. I l...

Epilepsy can be one of the most difficult conditions to deal with and here's why. First off, is many people don't spread awareness or share their personal experience with it. This condition hasn't been put on tv, magazines, newspapers or any kind of publicity. Second is, when you have epilepsy, there can be other conditions associated with it like autism, depression, anxiety, stress or maybe certain cancers. Third, many people make judgements about the epilepsy community. There can be harsh compliments about our personalities or appearances and its difficult to be seen as a person. A personal experience is when I was just about to have a seizure, and I grabbed onto someone's shirt because I was losing balance.  I did not mean to grab them on purpose, it's just a natural response before a seizure. A few days after that, the person stayed away from me and believed I was a bad person. Even though I tried explaining things, I was judged and ignored because of something ...

Triggers are things which cause seizures.  The most common triggers are stress, dehydration,  lack of sleep, not taking medication,  alcohol use,  heat, flashing lights and menstrual cycles. They can be prevented by getting enough sleep,  exercising, staying hydrated, keeping cool, taking medication and more. Everyone has different triggers and handles them differently.  It is important to understand how triggers affect all 3 ( mental, physical, and emotional) health states so we can be aware of the reactions people face before they have a seizure. Some triggers can be more severe than others, but are not impossible to face.   The triggers I face the most  are stress, dehydration, and lack of sleep. I make sure to always have a water bottle with me, find ways to stay cool, get at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night and finding ways to relieve stress.  Sometimes managing triggers can be a little fun. Boxing is fun that has helped relieve...

It is extremely important to understand how to react when a person has a seizure. My family are the only ones who know exactly how to handle my seizures. When I have had a seizures in public, paramedics, firefighters or any first responders did not know what to do. There are so many signs people miss while I have seizures. If you do not get seizure first aid, then sometimes you might be putting a person at risk to die or make the situation worse.   Here is the correct way on how to handle a person who is about to have a seizure. I'm going to explain to you the right from wrong signs  on how to approach a seizure.  Sign 1 : Look to see if the person is responsive Sign 2 : If the person looks like he/she is going to fall  Sign 3 : If the person is hot or crying for no reason Sign 4 :Check for a medical ID bracelet or any way of contacting relatives  Sign 5: The person is standing and staring with shaky hands  Now that you've learned the signs to be ...

 As an epileptic, I may have seizures, but I do have goals and accomplishments. Besides having seizures, I enjoy activities as a normal person would. I am a big fan of sports, exercising, drawing, painting, art, love watching Disney and Netflix, listening to music, and discovering new things. I'm even able to attend college and graduate from it too. I find myself as a strong, confident, independent, fun loving, and brave person. I choose to spread epilepsy awareness and fight anything that may come in my way. People should accept myself from my inside, even if I have seizures on the outside. Therefore, if you are not able to see my inside, than you are missing out on an opportunity of a lifetime. 

 I consider myself as a sunflower. A sunflower starts small and grows and grows more throughout time. As she starts getting taller, the flower learns there are consequences in life. The consequences help her learn lessons and she tries her best to make her life stronger. While growing, the sunflower gets a better understanding about herself and what to expect in life. Since the sunflower is strong, she'll never give up. Therefore, even in the hardest times in her life, the sunflower decides to keep growing each and every day.

One of the hardest things when it comes to dealing with epilepsy is what other people think of us. Some people (not everyone) get scared when someone has a seizure because they do not know what to do. This makes people assume the person who has seizures could be scary, bad, or dangerous. The correct thing to do is asking if the person is okay and taking seizure first aid education. It is very important to understand the concepts of epilepsy because it helps spread awareness.  

Epilepsy has given me the most amazing talent ever. It would be surprising this disorder doesn't have any benefits, but that is not exactly true. I have trouble talking and thinking sometimes, but I have always been good at art. I've been drawing and painting since I was born and grow more and more every day. Art helps with my emotions and gives me strength in my mind and soul. 

My name is Callie and I am creating "My Epilepsy Journey" to promote epilepsy awareness. I was born with epilepsy and had my first seizure when I was two years old. In 2007, I had brain surgery to try and eliminate the epilepsy. However, the surgery failed and I ended up with a scar on my head and non-peripheral vison on my right side. I have been dealing with epilepsy my entire life. My mission is to help spread and educate you about epilepsy and letting you know there's more about myself than just having an invisible disability too.