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People often wonder what life with epilepsy is like and how people are impacted by epilepsy and seizures. The truth is, people living with epilepsy and seizures often feel isolated and stigmatized, but otherwise, are able to live life to the fullest despite the challenges that seizures bring. That’s why we at Epilepsy Toronto believe we must ‘See the Person’ behind the seizures.

Listen to people’s stories below. You can also view our story photo gallery here.

Nikki

I refer to my seizures as the Cadillac of seizures.  Hey, not all stories about epilepsy are sad! And I’m hoping mine will help somebody in some way. As it [...]

Tammy

My name is Tammy, and I live with a seizure disorder. I have something called functional neurological disorder, and as a result, I have functional seizures. Functional seizures look like [...]

Irati

My name is Irati. I'm 25 years old and I come from the Basque country in the north of Spain and south of France. Me llamo Irati. Tengo 25 años [...]

Andrew

It doesn't matter. Epilepsy doesn't change who you are. My journey began when I was less than a year old. My doctor told my parents that my head was too [...]

Erik and Laura

Watch Erik's See The Person video here. [Erik] I'm nine, my name is Erik, and I have epilepsy. I like to watch movies, I like to play video games, I [...]

Shonette

Watch Shonette's See the Person video here. Being a single mom of 3 children is not easy, but by the grace of God, I've been able to just keep trucking. [...]

Arthur

My name is Arthur and everyday I just want to get better.  I was 33 when I had my stroke and then I was diagnosed with epilepsy. In 2019, up [...]

Steve

Watch Steve's See the Person video here. My first response was: “There’s no way. I don’t have epilepsy, come on”. It took a long time for me to accept. It [...]

Lena

Watch Lena's See the Person video here. I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 20. I just remember having a huge grand mal seizure and heading to the hospital [...]

Mary

When I was about six weeks old, I had my first seizure. And in 1947 and 48, there wasn't any information about that kind of thing. I mean, we're talking [...]

Michelle

I’ve been the “special case” since the age of 17. A lot of people remember their first year of college to be packed with drinking, parties and classes. Me, not [...]

David

My epilepsy started when I was 12 years old. In grade 7 I had my first tonic clonic seizure. I remember feeling very, very negative towards myself. I thought that [...]

Heavy

I became known as Heavy back in high school. There's definitely a heaviness to what I do. "Heavy" is not just the weight even though I’m a big guy. I’m [...]

Meera

I feel like epilepsy is now just one of the many facets of myself. But it’s been quite the journey because for a while epilepsy was all consuming. And so [...]

Kristen

I suffered my first tonic clonic seizure November 12th, 2015. I was a mess. My world was upside down. I had just been diagnosed with epilepsy. I was let go [...]

Donovan

I was taught growing up that to be a man I had to be strong, tough, resilient. I was diagnosed when I was 21 years old with nocturnal seizures but I [...]

Donette

I spent my 13th birthday at the Hospital for Sick Children to remove a brain tumor. I’ve had just about every seizure there is. Right now I’m just trying to [...]

Nehal

When I got the idea for the art project, I was at a support group gathering and I found out someone else there was an artist. The idea just came [...]

Nancy

I have three sons. My youngest is 30 and on day 11 of his life he started seizing. Since then he has seized multiple times every day of his life. [...]

Shonet

I guess I would describe my epilepsy as stable, but not stable in a way, because something can always show up. There is never an end to it even though [...]

Andy & Stephanie

From the father of a child with epilepsy: I've been raising money for Epilepsy Toronto by running at the Scotiabank  Waterfront Marathon since 2003 and been an active member of Epilepsy Toronto since 1992.  Our daughter [...]

LAURA

My first seizure was in grade 7, in my math class, so it was a very visible experience and I couldn’t remember anything except people saying that it was really […]

ISABELLE

I love this city, but I think I'm still a country girl. I grew up in a very small town called Hearst, it's about six hours up north from Sudbury, [...]

BEN

I was looking for work at the end of my school year, and also looking to volunteer. I’m a member of Epilepsy Toronto, and when I contacted them they told [...]

JACQUELINE

I remember the night before the mugging. I got home and my head had started spinning. I just lay in bed, but I couldn't handle it. I managed to grab [...]

ANASTASIA

My name means ‘resurrection’. Whenever I stop and think about it, it makes me chuckle. My Bompie (my Dad’s Mom) must have known I needed a little extra umph in [...]

DIALLO

I was in a motor vehicle accident from which I got a brain injury. It was after my accident that the seizures started to come. I was moving out, I [...]

ANGINI

Around the early 2000's, we noticed something strange with me. I'd be driving the car and I would suddenly be: ‘where am I, where am I driving?’.  I managed to [...]

LINDSAY

At the start of 2017, if someone had asked me if I would go through brain surgery for my epilepsy, I never would have said yes -  I never would [...]

CARA

I’ve been living independently since I was 18 years old.  Back in 2008, I actually had a right frontal lobectomy done. And the neurosurgeon said: you may never walk or [...]

LESLIE

I’ve had seizures all my life. We used to live in the country for close to 20 years. There was nothing for people with epilepsy where we use to live. [...]

RUI

I’m what they call a risk taker - I’m not afraid to try. I’m Portuguese, and that’s the way my family is. Always willing to challenge anything. I had a [...]

Nicole Asta

Nicole Asta has been living with epilepsy since before she applied for her first job. Diagnosed at age 12, she has yet to find a treatment that effectively controls her [...]

Sabrina De Sousa & Andrea Greaves

I didn’t know what to feel. A new epilepsy diagnosis can cause uncertainty and fear, but when you are a parent of a child with seizures, that stress multiplies. Questions [...]

Isabel Estrada

For Isabel Estrada, who has danced since she was ten years old, epilepsy didn’t simply mean having seizures; it meant something she loved, something she had intended to do professionally, […]

Denisa Radut: Determination

“I was 2% scared, 98% excited.” Denisa Radut is determined. She loves school, so much so that her heavy course load in the business administration program at Humber College, was […]

Tom Nesbitt

“When I went to school it was hard for me to make friends, and when I did, I was afraid that if I told them that I had epilepsy that […]

Amanda Kelly

When I was 15 years old, I had been having unexplained blackouts for a few months. I saw my family doctor who misdiagnosed me as having extreme panic attacks. I […]

Tracy Cummins & Tobin

My son Tobin was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was in Grade 2. I had noticed him blanking out mid-sentence or mid-stride and it took my breath away. I would […]

Adam Shapiro: Just Like Everybody Else

Last summer I was asked to introduce the Eisai comic book that was created to explain epilepsy. I spoke about situations similar to the hero, Jack, in the comic book. […]

Anna Argaw: Remembering Nebyu

“I wanted to do something to remember him.” When Anna Argaw’s son, Nebyu Taddese, was diagnosed with epilepsy it came as a shock. He was in Grade 10 and his […]

Bruce Hilliard

Bruce Hilliard was a long-time Epilepsy Toronto member, volunteer and advocate. On July 11, 2021 Bruce passed away due to a heart condition unrelated to his epilepsy.  His passion for [...]

Melanie Giglia

“I didn’t think it would be something I’d fall in love with,” says Epilepsy Toronto member Melanie Giglia on her passion for running. “I didn’t realize the greater good that […]

Stephen Kinsman

Growing up, Stephen Kinsman’s friends wouldn’t know when he had a seizure. They were so small, lasting only a moment as he blanked out. While his medications exhausted him, making […]

Wendy Morris

It was a Tuesday in March 2001. A regular workday, or so I thought. I was about six weeks pregnant with my son. I got up as usual and made [...]

Sharron Brandt

Sharron Brandt is a member of Epilepsy Toronto. Born a month premature with the cord wrapped around her neck she had a seizure as soon as she entered the world. […]

Jim Armstrong

Jim Armstrong, a longtime friend of Epilepsy Toronto, passed away in 2016. Our love goes out to his friends, fans and family. Jim was always sharing his story to support others [...]

Rochelle

Rochelle  migrated to Canada from the Caribbean. During the process of adjusting to life in Canada, settling into a new job and making friends, she was hit by a curveball; […]

Ali Hassan

I had my first seizure on January 16th, 2015 I was working 6 or 7 nights a week, 9-13 hours a night in a very stressful job. I also had […]

SHARE YOUR STORY
If you have an inspirational story of life with epilepsy you’d like to share, please contact our Communications Director Mackenzie to set up a time to chat: mackenzie@epilepsytoronto.org