When I was first diagnosed with epilepsy as a kid, brain surgery wasn’t even on the table. This is before we heard of VNS or anything more than medicine. I was just a child with a scary diagnosis and a lifetime of “what-ifs” ahead of me. The only real option then was to try different medications and hope something worked. For 37 years, nothing did.
For years, seizures have controlled my life. They stole moments, confidence, jobs, and even my sense of safety. I lived with a brain that could betray me at any time, and there were stretches where I felt completely out of options. But the research didn’t stop. Doctors, scientists, and patients like me kept pushing for answers.
Because of decades of research, everything changed.
Brain surgery for epilepsy went from experimental to lifesaving and after numerous brain surgeries, while I still live with cognitive challenges and epilepsy, I finally have more control than I’ve had in almost 40 years.
Research saves lives!
It’s easy to take medical progress for granted, but I’m living proof that research isn’t abstract, it’s personal. It’s the reason I’m still here sharing this story.