I have always been that type of person that wants to help people and make an difference. Recently I have applied to volunteer at my local hospital and the neonatal trust and an couple of other health organisations, I've volunteered for Epilepsy New Zealand for over 6 years for the medical condition that has changed my life to be like an roller coaster. Even though I have epilepsy I wanted to spread awareness to those out there. I also have experience working in health organisations, My goal is to give back and show my appreciation to the staff in that hospital, as it has made an impact on my life and especially the neonatal intensive care unit and the neurology department not to mention my general practitioner (family doctor.) Let me tell you about my first few months of my life. It was difficult, like most of our experiences. I was born an month and a half early only weighing 5.2kgs, I spent an month in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). I was born with hydrocephalus (fluid in the brain) I had surgery as an newborn at six weeks old to have an shunt and tube placed, the neurosurgeons and nurses saved my life. My parents were numb, it was their first born child, they were told that I would walk, talk, or go to school I defined all odds. In the beginning of 2019 I went to and usual check up with my neurosurgeon and he said to me that my shunt is inactive and independent meaning I don't have hydrocephalus anymore to my surprise he said only 10% of people have that. I see it as an miracle. My dad told me not long ago that I had seizures after my surgery because the shunt got infected, so I have had them all my life, but was not officially diagnosed until was a child at the age of five years old. I was in and out of my local hospital for months.
Still to this day I am forever grateful to the staff that treated me 24 years ago in NICU and my pediatric neurologist, I was in his care until I was 17 and in my opinion the best doctor I've had. My current neurologist isn't the best of sorts. The moral of this post is, that even though we go through so much dealing with this condition I firmly believe that giving back is the power of positivity. I know its hard sometimes to realise that this condition changes us forever. We might have days were we have had enough and we just want to give up but you got to tell yourself no I'm not going to let that happen. Epilepsy has shaped me to the person I am today, an person who wants to make an difference, who has persevered through my rough days months and years. Most importantly has never given up.
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