Chris’s Story
In 2001, My life changed drastically, when I had my first grand mal seizure on a trip to the casino with friends. Needless to say, they were terrified and my life would never be the same. The next few years were spend attending different hospital and doctors’ offices around Ontario trying to find the right medication for my seizures. Eventually I was stabilized on two different medications at high dosages, with terrible side effects.
I set my goal towards attending post secondary education and enrolled at University of Guelph. Graduating in 2012 and completing a post grad at McMaster University School was never easy, as with Epilepsy, exam week, high stress situations, lack of sleep typically resulted in complex partial seizures during those periods. The support I received at both universities as a student with disabilities was first class and made my education dream possibly.
I currently work at Haldimand Norfolk Social Services as a Case Manager for Ontario Works and part time at Canadian Mental Health Association as a Mental Health Worker. I love my career in Social Services. I have learned through experience, that it is important to be transparent with co-workers about my epilepsy.
I am so lucky to amazing support system of friends and family and the words greatest parents who, have always there for me, with countless rides around Ontario, grocery store trips or a ride to work and amazing wife, who is a registered nurse, my biggest advocate and source of encouragement. I have learned to adapt and accepted some limitations. I will never work with heights, the right to drive is a privilege and not a right and no 3D movies to name a few.
The year 2018 was a turning point for me, I was most fortunate to be referred to an epileptologist after years of trial and error with different anti-seizure medications and neurologists. I was admitted to The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit inpatient unit that monitors seizures. That provides prolonged EEG monitoring to help diagnose and treat epilepsy. My wife called it seizure camp. This admission changed my life. I was safely started on a new medication, with barely any side effects. I’m the beneficiary of new and great research. These past few years have been the best thanks to new medication. I have a changed attitude and outlook on life.
This inspired me to sign up for Canadian Mental Health Ride Don’t Hide , with a personal goal of cycling 1000 km by June 30, 2021 to raise money and awareness for mental health. Everybody seems to know someone in their family or friends who has been affected by mental health I personally struggle with anxiety, due to the unknown fear of having a seizure in public or even worse alone. So far I have cycled 800 km. I am no athlete :), but I hope to inspire the 360,000 Canadians, like me, who are living with epilepsy and to know anything is possible.
The courage of those living with epilepsy,
inspires us and fuels our journey.
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