By Deron Hamel

For as long as he can remember, Samuel Rheault says he’s had a keen interest in mechanics. In addition to having an aptitude for working with motors, he says mechanics always helped him forget about the challenges he faced living with epilepsy.

Today, with his epilepsy controlled by medication, and with the help of an Epilepsy Ontario scholarship, Samuel is studying to become an automotive technician.

Samuel, who lives in northern Ontario, was diagnosed with epilepsy and a benign brain tumour when he was 13. His condition took another 14 years to control with medication, he says.

“It was quite a traumatizing event in my life,” Samuel, now 28, tells Voices of Epilepsy. “It changed my whole way of life.”

Before his epilepsy was under control, Samuel says his condition was impacting his work life because he was having seizures on the job, so having his epilepsy controlled was a major step forward, he says.

Samuel has not had a seizure since December 2022.

With his health improving, Samuel decided to pursue his post-secondary education in 2023 and achieved a 3.91 grade-point average in his first year at Northern College. He is now in his second year of the automotive technician program.

Aside from his student life, Samuel has advocated for people living with epilepsy to help them cope with their condition. He has also instructed people on how to respond to someone having a seizure.

Samuel is one of four recipients of Epilepsy Ontario’s 2024 annual scholarship. He says his scholarship will help with his residence fees, food and gym membership. Samuel adds that keeping active at his gym is important to his health.

“I like to keep in shape because being physically active helps my body and my mind, and also helps me absorb my medication better,” he says.

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.