Managing a Chronic Condition: A reader’s epilepsy journey

Many of us struggle with chronic medical conditions. Some of us know that these conditions will one day resolve, others are conditions that we will live with our whole lives. My guest blogger today is one of those individuals who is learning to cope with her chronic condition, and growing stronger in the process.

Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end. To be honest, I don’t know who first said that, but it is how I have lived my life for years.

The month of November is National Epilepsy Awareness month. I was surprised to learn that not many people actually are “aware” of this. The awareness color is deep lavender. The Epilepsy Foundation has launched an amazing campaign this year in light of this, providing crucial and mind-blowing statistics:

• Over 3 million people in America have been diagnosed with epilepsy.
• 150,000 annual new cases in America.
• 1 in 10 people have had a seizure.
• 65 million people world-wide have epilepsy.
• Approximately 1 in every 26 people will develop epilepsy in their lifetime.

The Epilepsy Foundation has also launched a side video campaign, titled, “Now I Know.” The videos are sent in by people who have epilepsy or are related to people with epilepsy. These videos chronicle the things about epilepsy that they didn’t know before, but, because of their experiences, have learned over time. They are inspiring to watch and eye-opening for those that don’t have much experience with this condition. You can watch the videos here.

Now to put a real face to all of this: My name is Kathleen. I grew up with Partial Complex seizures and have been on medication to control them all of my life and I will always need it. However, I have a normal life with a wonderful husband, amazing family and friends, great job and I don’t fear my condition. I fear that others like me feel alone. That is why I started my blog, “Partially Complex,” which will follow my husband’s and my journey with starting a family while I have epilepsy. It is a journey that many are afraid to take with our same challenges. I want to let people know that this is not something to be feared and that even with epilepsy, all of your dreams can still come true.

Kathleen blogs at Partially Complex, a blog dedicated to her journey of trying to get pregnant while managing her epilepsy.

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