Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which clusters of nerve cells or neurons in the brain signal abnormally. With this, the normal pattern of neuronal activity becomes distributed, causing abnormal sensations, emotions, and behavior, or sometimes convulsions, muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness. Epilepsy is an illness with many possible causes. Anything that disturbs the normal pattern of neuron activity-from illness, to brain damage, to an abnormal brain development can lead to seizures. Having a seizure does not classify one as epileptic, only when a person has had two or more seizures are they considered epileptic. These seizures are referred to as “Epileptic Seizures.”
According to www.prnewswire.com, about 2.5 million persons have already been affected by the disease.Hitting even closer to home, an estimated 350,000 African Americans currently have epilepsy, with 24,000 new cases being diagnosed yearly. “It’s a very scary thing to think that in addition to all the other disorders such as HIV, Parkinson’s, and high blood pressure, we as a community, must now look out for epilepsy,” said junior Cerissa Edwards.
Epilepsy is not contagious and it is treatable, which some are unaware of. It can usually be treated with seizure preventing medication, although the medication is not a cure, it does suppress the illness and its symptoms. Epilepsy can also be controlled with frequent blood tests, proper dieting, and anti-epileptic and anti-convulsant drugs.
While it is a health hazard, epilepsy is generally not the kind of condition that gets worse with time. Most who are living with the disorder can expect to live a normal life.
“My oldest brother has epilepsy, and many people are scared of him or don’t want to be around him,” said junior Shontae Parker. “They think he is abnormal in some kind of way, but they are ignorant to the fact that this thing does not stop your life, nor does it make or break you as a person. You encounter people daily who are impacted by this illness and you would never know it.”
Many may believe that having epilepsy makes you different, but that is their mistake. Given the chance, one can still live a very active life. “People don’t realize, this is not who you are, it’s what you have, it’s not your life it’s just a part of it,” Parker said.