Sixty years with epilepsy, fifty years of broadcasting: Ken’s remarkable story

Life adjustments and daily challenges

Ken has absence seizures—a form of epilepsy where a person briefly loses awareness of their surroundings. These episodes can be subtle and sudden, often lasting only seconds, but they can be disorienting, disruptive and potentially very dangerous. Ken isn’t conscious during his seizures and only realizes they’ve occurred when he notices subtle clues—spilled drinks, objects knocked over, or gaps in memory.

Epilepsy has shaped many aspects of Ken’s life. After being made redundant following 30 years with the same company, doctors advised him not to seek another job. The stress and uncertainty of starting over, they warned, could trigger anxiety — and in turn, seizures.

He’s had to give up driving and be cautious about travelling abroad, especially to hot climates which can trigger his seizures.  Especially challenging for Ken, as a lifelong Swindon fan, he avoids midweek football matches due to unpredictable public transport.

Despite these compromises, Ken remains active and engaged. He still travels—recently visiting Canada and South Africa—but always in small, manageable groups so he can ensure everyone knows about his epilepsy. He attends Bible study groups, goes to the pub with friends, and attends Swindon home games whenever he can.

To manage his condition, Ken takes a combination of medications and had a vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) implanted. He keeps a seizure diary and shares updates with his medical team at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. His sister Janet checks in daily, offering support and helping monitor his wellbeing.

A Lifelong Passion: Hospital Radio

The one constant — Ken’s great passion (aside from the Robins!) — and something that epilepsy has fortunately never disrupted, is hospital radio. Ken began volunteering to gain experience as a football commentator, but he quickly fell in love with hospital radio and never looked back. That was in 1975. Since then, he’s been entertaining patients across Swindon with music, chat, and interviews with local celebrities like Glenn Hoddle, who was managing Swindon at the time. His incredible dedication was recently recognised with a certificate of appreciation, marking his 50th anniversary in hospital radio.

Perspective and Advocacy

Ken is philosophical about his condition. He knows others with epilepsy who are worse off and feels fortunate for the stability his current treatment provides. He’s never suffered serious injuries from a seizure, but he’s seen how severe epilepsy can be during hospital visits.

He’s a passionate advocate for awareness. Ken always tells people about his epilepsy—it’s safer, but also educational. He wears a medical bracelet and wants more people to understand what epilepsy looks like and how to respond. “People don’t realise that 1 in 100 have epilepsy,” he says. “It’s more common than people think.”