Epilepsy - The Unwelcomed Visitor

Dear Epilepsy:

As a mom of my then 8 year-old daughter, when she was first diagnosed after having a seizure, what made you think it was okay to visit my daughter's life?

You were not kind. You literally scared us all (as a family). Not to mention what you put my daughter through. Epilepsy, you shook my daughter's health. You attempted to shake the foundation of our home with the unknown.

You made us warriors

Well, Epilepsy, even though I (or we as a family) didn't know anything about you on your first initial visit, you decided to stay and try to create havoc in our lives. We had no choice but to learn about you and fight along side my daughter every day.

As a mom (some call me a caregiver), you taught me strengths, minute by minute, year after year, even today and going forward, that I didn't know I had. The sleepless nights, the long days of hospital stays, the updated doctors' appointments, coming off one med or bring introduced or reintroduced to another. You Epilepsy, put my daughter through hell and tested our patience over and over.

You made me an advocate

I continue to learn, educate, and fight for better epilepsy awareness through storytelling. This is not just for my daughter and our family, but for others to become aware, and most importantly for everyone affected.

This may sound strange but despite how much I hate you, Epilepsy, you've made us stronger!