Epilepsy

Sheila Danks is 57 and lives in Corfe Mullen, near Wimborne. She was diagnosed with complex partial epilepsy – the most common type of epilepsy – at the age of five.

Over 50 years on, Sheila still suffers up to twelve seizures a month, sometimes more, but she refuses to let her condition rule her life: “Epilepsy is very unpredictable but this is all part and parcel of the condition,” she says. “I don’t look upon my epilepsy as a disability - more of a little pest! I won’t let seizures rule my everyday life, and I look at this in a positive manner by safely deciding when, where, what and how I will do things… why should I let the possibility of a seizure occurring prevent me from going somewhere?”

Now a volunteer with the National Society for Epilepsy, Sheila has a positive message to give to people who might have just been diagnosed with the condition: “It can be daunting, frightening and scary being told you have epilepsy, and it can make you feel like the bottom has fallen out of your world. Thankfully, there’s lots of help out there - different web sites, epilepsy nurses, forums etc. Try to speak to other people who also have epilepsy - this can prove informative but also comforting, as you will know you’re not the only person out there with this unpredictable condition.”

She also has some advice for people learning to live with epilepsy: “Try to live as normal a life as possible. Look after yourself, take your medication regularly as prescribed and try to achieve a regular sleep pattern. Keep a diary so you know when and how often you have seizures.”

”Try not to let people stigmatise or discriminate against you,” she adds. “Offer to educate them instead so when they ever meet somebody else with epilepsy, they will be better informed.”