Students with epilepsy share struggles, experience, advice

By Taylor-Marie Funchion

Junior Jake Kinsman stands in the spot on the

English hallway where he had a seizure sophomore year.

Students who attended elementary school with Gabe remember the harsh treatment he faced due to his epilepsy. “I remember kids talking about his seizures during class. It was definitely weird, and a little scary,” a BHS freshman remembered. Well, Gabe, who is now a freshman here at BHS remembers it, too.

“People didn’t want to be my friend at school, I lost some friends, and at home, I was monitored every second of my day,” Gabe, who would rather keep his last name private, said. “It was tough.”

Even though his condition has improved dramatically since then, the isolation he had to deal with left emotional scars.

“Even the teacher was afraid of me,” Gabe said. “In the eyes of others, I was a monster.”

Epilepsy is a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by a loss of consciousness and convulsions. A person with epilepsy has seizures that can be triggered by things like flashing lights or even stress. Sometimes, these seizures have no trigger at all.

During seizures, people with epilepsy tend to lose consciousness while their bodies make involuntary jerking and thrashing movements. Afterward, they may feel tired, weak, or confused.

This condition affects 1 in 120 people in the U.S, meaning there could be at least nine cases in our school alone.

One of these students is junior Jake Kinsman. Jake’s fight with epilepsy was less of a struggle socially than Gabe’s. Although some of Jake’s seizures were very public (many upperclassmen can remember the commotion, including one that shut down the English hallway), acceptance was less of a problem for him.

“I got lucky,” he said, smiling, thinking of his loyal friends. Jake’s friends were all “understanding and very supportive.” This made Jake’s journey with epilepsy somewhat easier.

Even when things seemed like they were going nowhere, Gabe, too, kept his head up.

“Never give up. There is always a way to live your life and be happy,” Gabe said. “You just have to find it.”

Around the time he was in fifth grade, Gabe was able to find a medication that gradually stopped his seizures. Before long, he was having almost none at all.

“My life took a turn for the better,” Gabe remembered. He began to make more and more friends and find happiness.

Both BHS students living with epilepsy have learned the importance of never losing hope, even in the roughest of times.
 

Seizures: how you can help

• Stay with the person having the seizure.
• Do not put anything in the person’s mouth. This could cause choking.
• Lay the person on his or her side. This prevents fluids from clogging the airway.
• Keep track of the time. If a seizure lasts longer than five minutes, it could be considered a seizure emergency.
• Protect the person’s head.
• Clear the area of harmful objects.
• Don’t move the person unless he or she is in a dangerous area.
• Call 911.