Alice was a healthy mom of 3. She exercised regularly, enjoyed her job as receptionist, and was frequently complimented as a gifted chef.
“I had no idea I was having seizures until I had one when I was driving.”
That seizure caused a minor accident and no major injuries. However, after being checked by a doctor in the aftermath of the accident, Alice was diagnosed with Epilepsy, but she didn’t let that slow her down.
“My seizures only really came when I overexerted myself. It could be triggered by good things just as easily as bad things. I would get so excited around Thanksgiving and Christmas, cooking up all that good food for everybody, staying up late, not thinking about seizures one bit. I was just thinking about the holidays and spending time with my family. Then, Bam! Out of nowhere I’d just have a seizure, and I wouldn’t even remember anything about it. They’d all have to tell me what happened later, and then I’d need some rest.”
Although it wasn’t easy, Alice always made it clear that though she had Epilepsy, Epilepsy didn’t have her. She was able to hold down her job and with her devoted husband - or as she likes to say, “my chauffeur,” Richard, she’s raised 3 children. She retired just over 10 years ago and hasn’t had a single seizure since then.
“I always just let everybody know what was going on with my Epilepsy, at my church, at my job, with my friends. It’s important to be talking to people. It can be really rough, but I hope that other people can see that for some people, like me, it does get better. I’ve had such a fulfilling life, and I want other people out there dealing with this to know that.”