Stress triggered my seizures
Hello, my name is James and I’m 27 years old. I was diagnosed with epilepsy in March 2015 after a built up of stress while at college. My triggers are stress, lack of sleep and tiredness. Through having a wonderful support network of friends and family, my neurologist and the right medication I can live a life that I want to. I recently passed the two year mark of not having a seizure on September 2nd 2023, which was an emotional moment as going through the pandemic and lockdowns, I came out the otherside feeling stronger and positive.
I have recently started a job at Essex County Council through an Autism at Work programme as a Policy Intern which has been fantastic as it is an area I have wanted to be in a for couple of years. I play on the World Disability Billiards and Snooker Tour where I am number eight in my classification, I write for Snooker Scene magazine about disability Snooker and I am chairman of Norfolk Billiards and Snooker County Association. I also like to cook and bake Vegetarian and Vegan dishes, meditate, travel to new places, visit art galleries and spend time with friends and family.
Epilepsy is misunderstood condition and many people do not realise this. There is over forty different forms of Epilepsy, and I feel that it needs to be taken seriously for people to live the lives they deserve and not live in fear because of it. We should not be an minority in society, and to raise awareness we need to talk to business, organisations, use social media and paper media to tell people’s stories and what it means to them in their lives. I will do my part to make sure we deserve the support, care and understanding of members of public, people are scared when they don’t understand something, let’s change that!
