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Epilepsy Blog Relay: When Giving Up Is Not An Option

Photo credit: Frank Yepiz

This post is part of the Epilepsy Blog Relay™ which will run from June 1 to June 30, 2017. Follow along!

Alyssa’s Story

Haruki Murakami once said, “When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person that walked in after.” When I was diagnosed with Epilepsy at the age of six, my life transformed into a monsoon. I started having trouble socially, academically, and physically. It seemed as if my world was in a downward spiral until I was introduced to softball. That is where I learned that giving up was never an option.

 

Growing up I was an outgoing and troublemaking child. When I was prescribed my medication, the side effects made me a different person. At times my medication would cause me to be confused, which also caused me to urinate on myself. I remember being so upset; I was a twelve-year-old girl and knew that not everyone knew my story. I was always embarrassed and self-conscious around people because I would feel like the odd one out. If my shyness wasn’t bad enough, my grades were also not as good as I would have liked them to be.

 

I was a child that enjoyed learning something new every day. I would always participate in class, raising my hand to share my answers until the moment I started struggling to understand what was being taught. I remember going home and my parents would ask me what we learned in school that day, but my memory was always hazy and I just couldn’t remember. It was stressful when it came time to take a test. No matter how hard I worked, I still received a low grade. There were only two subjects I did well in and they were art and music.

 

Art and music were my two favorite subjects in elementary school. What I loved most was that we had the choice to take PE or not. I was not into sports growing up, so not being active and the effects of the medication, had bad effects on my health. I had gained almost twenty-five pounds in two years. I remember no matter how much I ate I never seemed to feel full. My Neurologist became worried about the situation and recommended I go see a cardiologist. That was the moment my life went from shadow to light.

 

I will never forget the saying my mom continues to tell me, “Everything happens for a reason.” After the doctor performed a few tests on me, he told my parents that I needed to lose weight to avoid heart issues. My doctor said the only way to fix this was to start eating better and become more active. A few weeks later my parents decided to sign me up to play softball for an NYS league. I fell in love with the sport and still continue to play till this day.

 

Photo credit: Rebecca Shaw

 

It has been seven years since I started playing softball and I must say it has impacted my life in many ways. Thanks to softball I have been seizure free for seven years and med free for three years. After my doctor took me off my medication my senior year of high school I started getting better grades in school and decided I wanted to go to college to be a teacher.

 

A few things that run through my mind every time I am on the field are, “If I would have never started playing softball would I have all the friends I have today?” “Would I be in college playing for my dream team?” Even if my questions could not be answered, I cannot be more thankful for the life I have today. That is how I learned quitting is never an option in sports and in life. I know that if I work hard and believe strong enough, I can accomplish all my goals and dreams.

 


NEXT UP: Be sure to check out the next post tomorrow by Beth at http://anthrosuit.blogspot.com/. For the full schedule of bloggers visit livingwellwithepilepsy.com.

TWITTER CHAT: And don’t miss your chance to connect with bloggers on the #LivingWellChat on June 30 at 7PM

3 Responses

  1. eloisa
    | Reply

    Truly amazing so proud that you never give up. Wish you so much success in you life

    • Alyssa Felix
      | Reply

      Thank you

  2. Tish
    | Reply

    Your story gives hope to those of us who have little ones that we don’t know what they will be able to accomplish in living with epilepsy. Thank you so much for sharing your story. Keep strong and keep moving forward.

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