Riding On: A Journey of Resilience

I had my first seizure when I was 11 years old. I was at home with my mom when it happened. She did not know what to do, so she rushed me to my doctor. After much testing, I was diagnosed with epilepsy and put on daily medication to control the seizures. That was 45 years ago.

I performed well in school, although I occasionally struggled with focusing. Still, I kept pushing forward. I married my high school sweetheart and had two wonderful boys! I have been a teacher for the last 31 years and have met many students who share my diagnosis. I am glad that I can be here to help them when they need it.

I am very lucky that my medication controls my epilepsy. Since I take it regularly and get enough sleep, I do not have seizures. I worried when I became pregnant for the first time about how the medicine would affect my baby, but we monitored closely, and I had a perfect baby boy.

Many people have misunderstandings when it comes to epilepsy. They believe that it affects everyone the same way and that it is not possible to live a "normal" life. This is not true for everyone. Everyone is different, and understanding this makes a world of difference.

To those who have epilepsy: do not let others tell you what you can and cannot do. My favorite things to do in my youth were riding horses, water skiing, and riding motorcycles. Now that I am older, I just ride the motorcycles.

We can accept our reality, adjust how we do things, and still reach our goals. All people need to know this, but especially educators. I want people to know that you can still pursue your dreams with epilepsy.