What Epilepsy Has Done for Me by Lowell Evans

When I was first diagnosed with epilepsy in 1980, many thought it would end the dreams and goals I had set for myself. They felt that this sudden health condition meant I would no longer be able to “shoot for the stars.”

Epilepsy carries many obstacles for a person to overcome, and because of those challenges, many people feel that they cannot succeed or reach their goals in life. But epilepsy taught me to go around, go over, go under, or simply go through the obstacles I face while living with the condition. It made me a stronger person and a better one.

Epilepsy can affect people in many ways—emotionally, physically, and even through the embarrassment a person may experience. Much of this comes from society’s lack of knowledge about epilepsy.

Epilepsy is rarely discussed and has been given a bad name because of the many myths and stigmas that have been associated with it for generations. Well, I refused to allow those myths and stigmas to change me.

After I could not find anyone to talk to about epilepsy, I decided to talk about it myself. I wanted to help clear up the rumors and assumptions that often begin as soon as someone says they have the condition.

I recall hearing a person say that he had epilepsy, and immediately everyone assumed that he was not working a full-time job and did not have his driver’s license. I remember how people kept looking at him, almost waiting for him to have a seizure.

But this person had graduated from college and was working a full-time job. He was also driving, and he was a husband and father.

Meeting this person on Zoom inspired me to overcome the challenges society was placing before me. It was then that I decided to write a novel about epilepsy.

I created a story that I knew people would want to read because it talked about the positive aspects of living with epilepsy. I had not seen this done before, so I believed it could catch the attention of some of the millions of people in the United States living with epilepsy.

I wanted people to see that an epilepsy diagnosis does not mean your dreams, goals, career, family, or future have to disappear.

So, what has epilepsy done for me?

Epilepsy has made me believe in myself when others did not.

It helped me become an author. I began contacting television and radio stations to talk about a condition that others often would not discuss. Epilepsy led me to become an advocate for others living with the condition and someone they could come and talk to when they felt nobody else would listen.

Most importantly, epilepsy made me realize that I was still a normal human being.

This neurological condition gave me the desire to help remove the myths and stigmas associated with epilepsy. It inspired me to prove to others—and to myself—that there is nothing to be embarrassed about simply because you have epilepsy.

That is why I always say:

“I have epilepsy, but epilepsy does not have me.”