My Epi-Center - Shelley Kobelsky

Epilepsy has existed for thousands of years, but only in the last century has it begun to be understood. The only symptom of epilepsy is the epileptic seizure and anyone who has experienced or seen such a seizure knows that this experience can be frightening and strange. The author offers a unique perspective, not just as a sufferer of the disease since she was two years old, but also from the additional challenges of being a woman. Even with the massive strides in changing the way people look at epilepsy, the disease has always carried with it a strong stigma. Throughout the world, including America, epileptics were sterilized or at least discouraged from having children, and most companies would refuse to hire an epileptic. In the 1990s, the Americans with Disabilities Act finally put an end to discrimination against epileptics, but despite major leaps forward in the study, treatment, and social view of the disease, there is much more to be accomplished. The author’s motive is to be honest about her own struggles with epilepsy in order to help others face the challenges of the disease with hope and faith. It is an open discussion; a truly unfiltered story which covers the terrain and scope of living with epilepsy on a daily basis from a woman’s point of view. Living with epilepsy is like having earthquakes in your head, hence the name, My Epi•Center.