A different kind
of family experience
Catherine
When I was eleven
days old, my mum had a really bad fit. For the
last ten days in hospital she hadn't got any sleep,
so she was really tired. She fell on the lighted
stove and badly burnt her head. The nurse who
lived next door looked after her at home. Although
I do not remember the incident, being told about
it reminds me that my family is a bit different
from most others. My
mum has had epilepsy since she was fourteen,
so I never knew my mum without epilepsy. I suppose
that I was a bit scared of her when I was young,
I watched her having fits, and I felt so helpless.
I'm not scared of her anymore, just a bit afraid
for her. I always feel that she will hurt herself,
so I try to be careful for her. Mum has most
of her fits when she is tired or stressed. It
is surprisingly hard to get her to stop working
and get some rest!
I think a lot
about mum, and I worry sometimes. But I have
got to convince myself that there is nothing
I can do for her other than be the best that
I can be.
Although she
learned to drive a long time ago, she is legally
not allowed to, because she could have a fit
at any time. Telling people why my mum can't
drive me somewhere never makes me feel uncomfortable,
I can't imagine having a mum who could drive.
Mum not driving is not an inconvenience, it
just means that I have to make my own way to
school. When I want to go somewhere after school,
I have to work out how I can get there by train.
Mum works from
home, and the big advantage of that is that
she is almost always at home when I get back
from school.
I am very proud
of my mum - epilepsy has not stopped her doing
any of the things that she wanted to do. She
has a family, a career and she has been able
to travel all over the world. The book that
she wrote in the seventies about her experiences
with epilepsy is still one of the very few positive
accounts of a life with epilepsy.
Mum's epilepsy
has become much less severe recently, but she
gets tired a lot, especially in the evenings.
I try to help as much as I can, but I'm not
too good at it.
Dad is very
supportive of mum, and looks after us when she
is not well.
Sometimes I
forget that she has epilepsy; to me she is just
like any other mum. She doesn't need any more
(or any less) love and kindness than other human
beings.
Catherine
Epilepsy
Association
1300 EPILEPSY
or 1300 37 45 37
Australia wide Priority Call
|
Understand Epilepsy
