Author Archives: DHamel

Student is using her epilepsy experiences to guide others

July 6, 2023

By Deron Hamel

Isabella De Sousa is dedicated to making it her mission to provide people with epilepsy the support and guidance that has helped her on her own journey of living with the condition.

Isabella De Sousa, pictured above, is one of four students to receive a 2022 Epilepsy Ontario scholarship.

Diagnosed with epilepsy at a young age, Isabella says she experienced “a lot of anxiety and self-consciousness” growing up with the condition but was able to overcome hurdles and live the life she wanted.

 

“Since childhood, I knew that I would and always will be different from my peers because of my disability, but something I had to learn was that just because I have seizures at night doesn’t mean I can’t wake up the next morning and live my life the same way as everyone else,” Isabella says.

“I strongly believe that someone’s epilepsy should not define who they are or what they can and cannot do.”

Isabella is currently a university student. After she completes her studies, she says she wants to dedicate herself full-time to helping people move past the obstacles she faced living with epilepsy.

“The topic of epilepsy is very important to me, as I have experienced it first-hand and I know how hard it can be on people and their loved ones, both mentally and physically,” she says.

“So, if I am able to alleviate their stress and put a smile on their faces, I will be able to call that a success.”

Isabella has been involved with Epilepsy Toronto for many years, participating in the agency’s events and fundraisers and networking with others in the local epilepsy community.

Isabella is already helping others with epilepsy. She notes that through her involvement with Epilepsy Toronto, she’s meeting others in her age group who have been newly diagnosed with seizure disorders and is mentoring people by answering questions and letting them know they’re not alone.

It’s a two-way street, she says, adding the people she meets with help her as much as she helps them.

“I want to continue supporting people in the epilepsy community by being a friendly face in the community and help teach others about epilepsy hopefully making them feel more comfortable about their condition,” she says.

Isabella is one of four recipients of Epilepsy Ontario’s 2022 annual scholarship. For more than 15 years, Epilepsy Ontario has been providing scholarships to exceptional students who have confronted and overcome remarkable barriers in their academic and personal lives due to their epilepsy.

Student with epilepsy shares a unique bond with Vincent Van Gogh

June 22, 2023

By Deron Hamel

Emily Greer says Vincent Van Gogh “has a special place” in her heart.

Like Emily, the famous Dutch painter lived with epilepsy and even wrote about living with the condition. But there’s something else Emily sees in Van Gogh that others may not. And this comes from looking at one of his most famous paintings, Starry Night.

The painting is a nighttime scene depicting a bright crescent moon and plenty of stars encased in bright yellow halos hovering over a village. Some scholars see the halos as having a religious significance.

“However, based on personal experience, I see something different: the auras I experience just before having seizures,” Emily says.

Auras are commonly felt by many people living with epilepsy just before a seizure begins.

“It is possible that Van Gogh, who also lived with epilepsy, experienced colourful auras which then found their way into many of his stunning paintings,” Emily says.

And like Van Gogh, Emily is an artist. She’s also planning to become a teacher and will be entering teachers’ college in September. Her goal is to pass along her passion for art with her knowledge that there is, as Emily puts it, “an upside to epilepsy.”

Emily points to a research paper by Steve Schachter from Harvard Medical School called Sparks of Creativity: The Influences of Epilepsy in Visual Art. The study argues that people living with focal epilepsy often have increased creative potential.

“I certainly know that living with epilepsy has impacted my artwork, along with my confidence in my having artistic creativity,” she says.

“Having seizures and experiencing auras are an important part of who I am, and as an aspiring artist, these auras have had a positive impact on many aspects of my work. My artwork, and soon my teaching, will continue to reflect these positive lived experiences.”

As a teacher, Emily says she wants to influence “the attitudes of future generations” of children who are living with epilepsy and their peers.

“By advocating for inclusion in most extra-curricular activities, I can also ensure these students are not teased or ostracized, which does far more harm than epilepsy itself,” Emily says.

Emily is one of four recipients of Epilepsy Ontario’s 2022 annual scholarship. For more than 15 years, Epilepsy Ontario has been providing scholarships to exceptional students who have confronted and overcome remarkable barriers in their academic and personal lives due to their epilepsy.

Doctoral student uses his experiences with epilepsy to inspire others

June 8, 2023

By Deron Hamel

Tyler Herrington is completing his doctoral studies focused on climate-change research, defying the odds a childhood physician gave his parents when asked how epilepsy would impact his life.

Tyler Herrington, pictured above, is one of four students to receive a 2022 Epilepsy Ontario scholarship.

As a child living with epilepsy, Tyler’s parents were told by the doctor that epilepsy would prevent their son from living a rich and productive life due to challenges the condition would present.

But Tyler refused to let epilepsy stand in the way of his ambition. He attended university, earning a bachelor’s and then a master’s degree before being accepted into a doctoral program.

Tyler wants to encourage others living with epilepsy to do the same and not let their condition control their life. Recently, he notes how he spoke with a student who had received an epilepsy diagnosis. Tyler told the student not to let epilepsy derail their dreams.

“We had a chat, and I disclosed to them that I too live with epilepsy and told them about my experiences and what I’ve been able to achieve despite the diagnosis,” Tyler says.

Tyler told the student they could complete their degree, and their diagnosis doesn’t mean they should give up. His conversation with the student provided an a-ha moment for Tyler, he says.

“It was moments like these that helped me realize that I have a great passion for teaching and for outreach work – and I hope to be able to use this passion and my background in science to inspire a love of learning and to help end the stigma around epilepsy,” he says.

Tyler says he will continue speaking with others about his own experiences and try to be a role model and source of inspiration to those living with epilepsy.

“As someone who is working on a doctorate and has had experience with teaching and outreach work, I would hope to be able to use this as a platform to be open about my diagnosis and talk about my story,” he says.

“I hope to be able to use my experience with outreach education work to engage with epilepsy organizations and act as a mentor for other folks living with epilepsy.”

Tyler is one of four recipients of Epilepsy Ontario’s 2022 annual scholarship. For more than 15 years, Epilepsy Ontario has been providing scholarships to exceptional students who have confronted and overcome remarkable barriers in their academic and personal lives due to their epilepsy.

Don’t let epilepsy stand in the way of your goals, says scholarship recipient

May 24, 2023

By Deron Hamel

Alexa Graham has never been one to let epilepsy stand in the way of her dreams.

Alexa Graham, pictured above, is one of four students to receive an Epilepsy Ontario scholarship this year.

The recent high-school graduate from Timmins, Ont. was diagnosed with the condition as a young child. From that time, Alexa says she and her family were told she would never be able to “lead a normal life” because of epilepsy.

But Alexa has not only led a normal life, she has thrived. This is due to what she says is her greatest strength: her ambition.

“My biggest strength is that I don’t let anyone or anything get in the way of achieving my goals in life,” Alexa says, adding she has “always fought very hard” to make sure epilepsy doesn’t control her life.

“When the doctors said I would never ride a bike, I did. When they said it was unlikely for me to ever be able to read, I did. Same thing was said about skiing and driving, and here I am, doing all of these things despite the odds not being in my favour.”

Alexa is one of four recipients of Epilepsy Ontario’s annual scholarship. Now that she has completed high school, Alexa will be attending college to train to become a physiotherapy and occupational therapy assistant.

For more than 15 years, Epilepsy Ontario has been providing scholarships to exceptional students who have confronted and overcome remarkable barriers in their academic and personal lives due to their epilepsy.

Asked how she would like to impact the epilepsy community, Alexa says she would like to help others “embrace their condition, rather than live in fear of it,” as she has done.

“Epilepsy is only a single aspect of a person; it does not define who they are, nor should anybody have to live in fear or with limitations of the condition,” she says.

As she looks towards her future, Alexa says she will continue to set her sights on her goals and achieve them.

“Because another one of my strengths is that I never give up, no matter what obstacles present themselves,” she says.