Dear Stacey,
I often read the letters in Epilepsy USA, so I have found yours quite interesting. I found growing up what they finally diagnosed as psychomotor epilepsy rather than petite-mal.
I had removal of 2/3 of the right temporal lobe and graduated in 1958. Try explaining that to those many people who through the years looked at me as though (and thought) the devil possessed me or else I was a witch! People kept children in some cases from playing with me.
I could not really understand what was happening to me or why. It was not something that we discussed outside the family either.
In fact, to the day she died last year, my mother was horrified that I should tell my friends I had epilepsy! After all, what would her friends think?
I went off to college to major in agriculture. I found out that due to surgery my seizures were less. Nevertheless, the people with whom I was in contact accepted my epilepsy and my social life was great.
I am convinced students away for college drop the fear of their parents! Bosses, friends and, of course, my husband accept my epilepsy-that is the way it has gone.
I believe this woman had difficultly growing up with epilepsy because not until recently was epilepsy brought out into the open. Many people did not know what seizures were and when they saw someone go into a convulsion they did not know to react. People with epilepsy were looked at strangely and were singled out. This strong young woman did not let her past affect her. She went on with her life and got a college degree. She met friends who accepted her epilepsy. She got married and created a family for herself. She reached out for help through medical attention and the magazine Epilepsy USA.
