A CHANGE OF MIND CAN CHANGE A LIFE
Here are some thoughts to ponder:
What, I ask, is so threatening that it forces you to deal with a possible seizure by never dealing with it?
Are you afraid people will stare at you?
This is quite a minimal concern since the seizure victim cannot see or hear the malice and ridiculing because he or she is unconscious!
Are you scared you won't know what to do if some innocent child points and laughs at the "funny" man or woman? There are such things as educating the ignorant about what a seizure is, and you are capable of taking that route-if you want. The more you treat your friend or family like an equal, you'll get not only used to teaching through your personal experiences with seizures; you might even come to enjoy enlightening another person representing the many in society that foster the unjust stigmas surrounding epilepsy!
Acceptance fosters self-esteem, trust, personal growth and enduring love. This must begin at home to have the greatest impact on the individual. Without a person's first experiences of being treated as an equal in their family framework; they are being labeled outcasts in their first life experiences. It reminds me of the analogy in nature when an animal throws out the weaker cub. The point? We are not animals! We are empathetic, accepting and intelligent human beings with capabilities far beyond a beast. Language is one thing that separates us from animals and we can use it to teach others about what epilepsy and seizures are. That choice is by far the wiser rather than hiding your "loved one" away.
Seizures are random and a diagnosis is permanent but controllable. Being excluded from living with brothers, sisters and parents fosters nothing but loneliness and jealousy. Seizures are just too many neurons firing at once causing a crash of the CPU's we call our brains! People are malleable and can learn new habits. Don't leave those with seizures with a legacy of traders instead of a "family".
Learn how to explain to others what a seizure is. Don't let panic be your first instinct. Panic is left for strangers who are ignorant, not out of their own fault, but because nobody has taught them differently. You aren't a stranger; you're not supposed to be. Having a person with epilepsy or seizures in the family or as a good friend is a great thing. They will teach you to appreciate simple things while learning how to be a teacher, a cheerleader and a true friend to a person who is need of an advocate. This "weak soul" is actually stronger than you and will strengthen the most innermost character flaws within you. The byproduct: society will learn slowly that people with epilepsy and seizure disorders are valuable in society and fear will become extinct.
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