Personal stories

James experienced his first stroke just before his 18th birthday, and in March 2015 was diagnosed with epilepsy. Nearly eight years later, he is a competitive snooker player playing in the World Disability Billiards and Snooker tour (WDBS). Here he explains the importance of sport for his health and mental well-being.

Hamsia is 33 and was diagnosed with epilepsy as a teen. She is from a Somali background with no family history of epilepsy. Hamsia was in denial after her diagnosis and felt too distressed to talk about how she felt with her family. But today she has come to terms with her condition. She has spoken out on national radio about living with epilepsy.

Kay was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2011 and has tonic clonic seizures. She had a seizure in the pool at her Aqua Fit class when her lifeguard, Finn, saved her life. This is her story.

Imy Gosling and Julia Gargan have been best friends since they were at primary school together. “I joined the school after everyone else and from day one, Imy looked after me – we really bonded,” recalls Julia. “We lived very close by and really grew up together.” But being close also meant that Julia witnessed the challenges that Imy faced when she developed epilepsy as a teenager.

Chloe Hambling experienced seizures in her recent pregnancy and felt anxious and concerned about her baby’s health. She is now eager to raise awareness of epilepsy and to ensure more research is undertaken to develop safer drugs for other pregnant women with the condition.

Jade Davies worries about whether her son's health problems may have been caused by her epilepsy medication, even though the drugs she was taking during pregnancy are considered to have a safer profile.