Todays post is going to be quite personal so you'll just have to bare with me on this. I've decided to write about epilepsy and my experience with it. My epilepsy is not something that I like to talk about but I've been thinking about writing this post for a while now. So now here we go.
I've never enjoyed talking about my epilepsy for two reasons 1) I've been judged because of it and 2) I've heard so many rude and insensitive comments about seizures and epilepsy. I never want people to judge me based on the fact that I have epilepsy which is why I don't tell people about it when I first meet them (wouldn't that be a fun conversation?). I started having seizures when I was 8 years old and from that age until the age of 13, people made fun of me for it.
I'll never understand why people think that it's acceptable to make fun of seizures. Think about different medical conditions that people have. Would you make fun of them for it? A majority of people would say no, so why is making fun of seizures somehow ok? It's NOT! I will say that most of the rude comments that I've heard about seizures were not directly aimed at me. Some people might ask why I never said anything to the people who made those comments. My answer to that is: those people weren't worth my time. I realize that may sound very harsh, but it's true. If someone makes rude comments about you or something that you can't control, then they aren't worth it. I will admit that there were times when I wanted to say something but thankfully I was able to control myself.
My epilepsy has had quite an impact on my life. When I was a kid I loved playing basketball but I had to quit because I had a seizure during one of my basketball games. I was really upset about it, but I think that my parents did that right thing by making me quit. Risking my health wouldn't have been worth it. When I was 13 I was told that I wouldn't be able to drive, so when I was 16 I wasn't blindsided. It can be annoying having to rely on someone else for a ride, but I don't dwell on that. I also have to be careful when it comes to exercise and I can't be around flashing lights.
When I was first diagnosed with epilepsy I felt sorry for myself, but then I realized that's no way to live. I can't go through life feeling sorry for myself because,aside from the epilepsy, my life isn't bad at all. I actually think that having epilepsy has helped make me a better person. That might sound weird, but it's true. I matured more quickly and I'm very sensitive towards others.
I don't think that this post would be complete without thanking my incredible family and my amazing friends (past and present) for their love and support. If it weren't for them I don't know where I would be right now.
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