Hi, my name is Ava. I am a ten-year-old and a Youth Ambassador for Epilepsy Durham Region, a charity that helps people like me
living with epilepsy in our community.
I had my first seizure when I was a baby, but was not diagnosed until I was 6 years old. Did you know that it can take anywhere
from 10 to 20 years for the right diagnosis and treatment? Right now, my seizures are not controlled and I have to take medicine
every day to try and stop them; it isn’t helping. Some other kids have to have brain surgery for their seizures, and sometimes that doesn’t
even help either.
The worst part about having epilepsy is that no one understands what epilepsy is and what it can do to you. I don’t like feeling
different. What people don’t see is that I cannot do all the things that other kids can to do like sleepovers and birthdays with my friends,
or going to 3D movies; it makes my mom and dad scared everyday, not knowing when or what my next seizure could be.
Because my seizures are not controlled, I spend a lot of time in the hospital getting different kinds of tests, and also for
emergency visits when my seizures don’t stop. Sometimes I have to stay in the hospital for a week attached to a machine
where they watch my brain, and my parents and I cannot leave the hospital room. You can read about my last visit to the hospital in my blog: https://bit.ly/37phWL1
March is National Epilepsy Awareness month (https://bit.ly/2UU1Czs) and as a Youth Ambassador, I would like to ask you to join us to wear purple to promote epilepsy awareness, help me help others to understand that they are not alone, and there are kids like me who need their help and kindness.
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