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 - they found a tumor on my right temporal lobe.

I am an intellectual - I was in the gifted program growing up. I went to U of T and completed my bachelor’s degree, a double major in employment relations and psychology, and then I did a Book and Magazines Certificate Program at Centennial College. Things like essays and writing papers - that’s what I’m good at. I’ve learned to hone in on what I’m good at.

I’ve been living on my own for about 10 years. It’s tough, that first initial stage of moving out. My mom was scared that I couldn’t take care of myself. But she knows that I can take care of myself now because I’ve proved it. I don’t worry about having seizures alone - what I don’t like is having them in public because of the attention that it creates, and the added stress if the paramedics come.

I created a business called www.tutormates.ca, an in-home tutoring service that caters to individual learning styles.  I want to keep my business going and see how it takes off. And from there, build something for myself.

Epilepsy didn’t stop me from continuing with life and doing the things I wanted to do. At first, the thought of it scared me, but then it gave me the motivation to find out more about myself and my condition.

Everybody has a different story – nobody has the exact same story as you. But what’s important is to realize that there are people going through the same thing as you – you’re not alone.

#SeethePerson 

*stories have been condensed and edited

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