Kevin’s Story

My name is Kevin , I am a 17 year old from the South Suburbs of Chicago, and I suffer from Right Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Waking up in an Irish Hospital just outside of Dublin following a 27-hour sedation period, my life was completely changed on November 26, 2022. I began to recognize something was wrong my freshman year of high school. I was struggling to get sleep, having to force myself just to eat and drink, and performing poorly academically even as my work effort exponentially increased. Consistently having done well in school growing up and seeing my work go unnoticed, I became unmotivated towards anything outside of the classroom. My first seizure was in May ‘22, followed by another in September ‘22. Following both of these incidents, I failed to notify those around me, enhancing the problem and allowing for the potential of an even worse incident. Unsurprisingly, it came. On November 26, 2022 I had 4 seizures before being sedated with morphine. I have no recollection of any events from the date, yet November 26, 2022 has changed my life in more ways that I could have ever imagined. Not one person in my family was aware I suffered from sporadic seizures, including myself. Following a week in the hospital, I was broadly diagnosed with epilepsy and placed on anti-seizure medications. In the six months period following my hospitalization, I suffered two seizures, three medication dosage alterations, yet never lost hope. Eventually, I received news I was finally diagnosed with Right Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. At points I struggle mentally, feeling like I have devolved losing the ability to drive a car and do some of the activities my peers around me are able to, but although I may not be the same as those around me, I’m not supposed to be. Everyone is their own person, and any attempts at pushing away who you truly are will only come back to shine brighter later.