On what felt like a typical day back in 2019, I suddenly started acting strangely. Others observed me randomly and frequently looking up; I was not aware of what I was doing until they told me. My mother scheduled an appointment with my doctor to determine what was causing this odd behavior. The doctor examined me and told us that I was experiencing absence seizures, a type of seizure that involves brief, sudden lapses in attention. I had to face the fact that I have epilepsy. On that day, I was prescribed medication that I must take each morning when I wake up and again at night before I go to sleep. The treatment plan was that I would manage my medicines, and people around me would tell me if they witnessed any more absence seizures.

For about one year, I experienced very few seizures; instances of me unknowingly looking up diminished. I was still taking my medication daily, but since my seizures would still pop up sometimes, I would miss occasional days of school. This affected my daily routine. I met with my doctor for a checkup to see if the prescribed medicine was still working well enough to prevent any future, full-blown seizures. I was feeling great and learning to coexist with my epilepsy with no problems. Maybe I let my guard down. I started to stay up late at night week after week, and I did it non-stop. I would remind myself that if I kept up this habit my health would deteriorate since being overtired can possibly trigger seizures. For a short time, I improved my sleep habits, but unfortunately, I returned to my old ways.

In 2021 I experienced a turning point. For the first couple of months that year, I was doing fine and not having any difficulties. Later that year, I was participating in Ramadan, a Muslim holiday. As a Muslim, I did not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset for a whole month. Because of that, I wasn’t taking my medicines regularly. When Ramadan ended, I was proud of myself that I had committed to fasting. However, due to my sleep habits and irregular medicine routine, something unfortunate occurred. On May 13th, around 6 AM, my family and I were getting ready to go for breakfast. The night prior, I had stayed up all night Facetiming with a friend; now I was functioning on no sleep, which eventually became my downfall. The last thing I remember was putting my pants on; then I woke up confused that I was in an ambulance. As it turned out, I had experienced a full-blown seizure on the floor, and I was rushed to the hospital. There, the emergency room doctor gave us an update. He said that I needed to take my medicine correctly and to sleep better. When I saw my regular doctor the next day, she changed my medication. She also told me that since I was fifteen years old and would soon be preparing to earn my driver’s permit, I would have to be seizure-free for a whole year in order to qualify for that achievement. Most teens that I know are eager to get their permit at sixteen. Sometimes obstacles get in the way, and I wondered how it would be for me. Thankfully, that seizure was the last one, but I still rely on medication and have to be careful about my health.

This changed my view on life. It is possible that I will have another seizure randomly. I worry where and when it could happen because those conditions can affect the outcome for me. My epilepsy diagnosis has taught me that I can overcome any obstacle even if I have a condition that makes it difficult.

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