It was a normal day at school and I was in my social studies class and
suddenly I had a seizure. It lasted a few minutes. In shock lying on the
floor, I regained consciousness and remembered nothing. After long
months of medical studies, one day the doctors called me at home and told me that I had to go to the hospital. We went and saw the neurologist. I remember his name perfectly. “Dr. Luis Álvarez" . He said my situation was serious and that the studies they performed on me showed that I had a mal- formation in my brain since birth. At that time, the problem had already developed in my brain and the diagnosis "Epilepsy" was a moment of pain
for me because I had no idea what it was. At first I was uncomfortable and worried about how people would see me because at school there were always bullies. I was only 8 years old. I was also worried that they would see me as a “weirdo” among other things.

Epilepsy makes me who I am today. I understand that people have to love
themselves and if people reject me it is because they are not ready to be in my life and deal with my condition. My condition is mine and I believe that even if I have it that doesn't make me less than anyone. As time went by my family told me that my aunt also had epilepsy but they found a cure for her. I do not have control over how people perceive me because in this world not all people have the same heart and feelings; there are people who see you with love and others who see you with contempt.

I was diagnosed with my condition in my country of origin. My family and I
have been dealing with my condition so that I can get ahead in the best way
that I can. I arrived in the United States at the age of 17 and I thought that my experience in this country would be difficult because I didn’t know English and school was going to be difficult. But, it was the opposite. Everyone is very friendly and in addition to English they speak other languages including Spanish. I feel comfortable and less strange when interacting withothers. And I feel like I can fit in despite my condition. Everyone is kind and gives me security, and I think that the United States does have more acceptance of people even with conditions like mine.

My condition makes it hard to learn some things. I simply do not understand them completely and I need help to understand them, and I know that because of my condition and my learning problem, I will not be able to learn the “English” language completely or perfectly. It is a little difficult for
me, but maybe one day, if my condition allows it, I will learn it, embrace it,
and speak it without issues. Although I need help with some things, I don't
have a complex about myself and that is something I have understood over
the years. People should not be self-conscious about how they are or how
people treat you. I have a little bit of responsibility for myself like worrying
about taking my medications, doing my chores, and completing my work. I
think that maybe if my condition allows it, one day I can work full time and
fulfill my dreams. With God ahead, I also want to marry my girlfriend and
start a nice family.

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