A Career Teaching and Helping Others

Hi everyone, my name is Erica, I’m 26 years-old, and I have periventricular heterotopia, a rare form of epilepsy. (You can learn more about it here: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/periventricular-heterotopia.) I am so thankful to have found the great doctor (and hospital, and everyone who helped during my stay) who found the exact cause of my epilepsy and continued to help me (within the past two years.)

I’ve always been outgoing, I participated in dance and pompoms, my mom says I was a top student from an early age, and I went on to graduate Cum Laude from ASU (almost Magna if it weren’t for that last grade…) I’m telling you this because, as a growing child into a young woman, I did not show any of the possible signs of periventricular heterotopia, such as intellectual disability or problems in reading or writing (English class became my favorite) and I actually excelled in school (rather than “normal” as the website above talks about.) Even in the later years of college when my seizures escalated, I continued school at home via my laptop and the online program.

It is stories like my own (and others’) that I want to share with people, teach and help others. Maybe help motivate them to achieve their dreams, succeed, graduate… despite their difficulties and diagnosis. Teach others about my condition, about epilepsy as a whole, about ways you can get the help you need and are looking for, about ways you can cope… the list goes on. I’d love to find a career doing something I love, and that is teaching (as well as learning) and helping others. Is there anyone specific I can talk with about this? (Epilepsy Foundation?)