By Deron Hamel

If there’s one thing Allison Landry says she’s learned from living with epilepsy, it’s the value of having compassion for others.

And her compassion for others is what is leading her down a career path to becoming a nurse, a dream Allison has had all her life.

But it’s not a path she thought she’d be able to take after being diagnosed with a seizure disorder in Grade 9.

“I felt like this path was closed to me,” Allison says. “It was very hard for me to accept my new realities and adapt my dreams and goals. But I did. I started to focus on the small wins, and I worked very hard to graduate high school.”

Before her diagnosis, Allison says school was easy for her, but seizures created learning challenges she had to overcome.

Allison recently had surgery that has had positive results. She has also been accepted into a nursing entry pathway at university.

“It is an unexpected career path,” she says, “but I am so proud to be able to work towards becoming a nurse and helping others.

“I feel that I have an in-depth understanding of the compassion required to be a great nurse due to my times spent in hospital after my resections. I understand that people are scared and may not be themselves when they are in hospital, and I hope I can treat them as many of my great nurses treated me.”

Allison says once she completes her nursing education she wants to work in a small-town hospital. Growing up in a small, northern community, Allison says she felt alone as someone living with epilepsy. She says she wants to change that by being an inspiration to others – something she’s already doing.

“I want people to know that they are not alone,” she says. “I hope to help others in small communities feel connected and heard. I have let my family doctor know that he is able to give my name out as a resource for anyone diagnosed with epilepsy and needs someone to talk to.”

Since Allison has to travel 1,300 kilometres for specialist appointments, she and her mother help others with the logistics of travelling when they need specialist care, she adds.

Allison is one of four recipients of Epilepsy Ontario’s 2024 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.

Allison says her scholarship will help make her dream of becoming a nurse come true.

“The scholarship will allow me to concentrate on school and myself, without worrying so much about finances,” she says.