Maria: Hello Mary. Thank you for sharing Jake’s story with me. It has been quite a journey for you all since Jake developed epilepsy as a 12-year-old. Mary: Jacob (Jake) was born in June 1988. He was a gorgeous, healthy and a contented baby and one of five boys growing up on the outskirts of Hamilton, New Zealand. Jake was a typical kiwi kid. He

Maria: Hi Kim, I am really interested in hearing your story today. Your epilepsy story begins as a 12-year-old. Kim: There were a few significant events that happened in my life when I was 12 years old that caused me to really spin out of control. Firstly, I lost my best friend in a road accident. We went everywhere together and I couldn’t believe it

Maria: Hi Carl, it is always lovely hearing from you and to know that you are doing well. Your epilepsy story is an interesting one because you have been experiencing unusual thoughts and feelings for a very long time now. You never imagined that you could have epilepsy but the brain is a mysterious organ and people can experience seizures other than tonic clonic, which

Maria: Hello you two. You have been best friends for years and I know that your sense of humour gets you into all sorts of mischief! You are so good to be around and I enjoy your company. Mike: Well you know me. Having a sense of humour certainly helps me get through some tough days as I do feel lonely at times. Some days

Maria: Hi Marama, thank you for participating in my ‘phone chat’ project. I love the idea of people telling stories and I wish to thank you for telling me yours. I understand that your little lad has quite complex epilepsy. Marama: Indeed, he has. My son has quite a few medical, learning, and behavioural challenges as a result of him having drug-resistant, left-temporal epilepsy which

Maxine: Hi Maria! Thank you for the invitation to participate in your phone chat project. Personal stories are always interesting. Maria: Hi Maxine! Not a problem. It is always lovely catching up with you. Where shall we begin? Maxine: My epilepsy story started back when I was 14 years old, just as I hit puberty. It was the end of the beginning as I felt

Maria: Hi Thomas! It is always a treat to catch up with you. I am sure that I am going to enjoy another lively conversation. Tell me how are we going to start our phone chat conversation? Thomas: I am going to give our chat a title, “The economics of disability”. Maria: Wow! Okay I am really interested to see where this leads. Thomas: As

Maria: Hi Alicia, thank you for taking the time to have a chat with me today. I understand that having epilepsy has created many challenges for you. Alicia: Yes, living with epilepsy has certainly been challenging, heart breaking, and at times overwhelming. There are days where my brain feels as though it could explode as I have tension headaches on a daily basis. Social occasions

Maria: Hi Julie, would you like to participate in a phone chat with me? As you know I do a community project each year and this year I am having ‘phone chats’ with people. Julie: I sure would. I can talk for days about epilepsy. I also love to hear what others have to say about their own epilepsy stories. It helps me to realise

Maria: Hi Jill! Thank you for the work that you do for EWCT and for also agreeing to be part of yet another of my community projects. People like you are pivotal to the success of community groups such as ours and your support has been unwavering. Jill: Thank you Maria. It is important that people with epilepsy help others by sharing stories. For me,