Bright lights and noises can cause seizures. Sometimes the cause can be unknown and it can be scary.

Junior Kimberly Hicks epilepsy. In short, epilepsy is where the nerve cells in the brain are disturbed, causing seizures. Kimberly has Idiopathic epilepsy meaning it can come from any part of her brain.

“I almost died in my living room because of a seizure.”

Kimberly was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 4, after having a seizure in her living room. She has gone to many doctors to know why she has seizures. Some doctors have told her it is genetic while others say she was born with it.

“I went to some doctors to figure out why I have epilepsy.”

Because of her having seizures, her parents stopped her from going out and doing things because they were afraid of her having more seizures. Being someone not able to go out and hang out with others, she felt alone as she couldn’t do ‘normal’ things.

“People told me it looks like I’m daydreaming.”

When having her seizures, other people have told her it looks like she is daydreaming or staring off into space. When in the seizure, she feels frozen, but she is conscious of what is around her.

“When I’m out, my parents make sure nothing will trigger a seizure.”

Things she needs to watch out for are bright lights and loud noises. The reason is that those can cause migraines which can lead to a seizure.

“They usually start because of stress or the room temperature.”  Her seizures are usually caused by temperature or stress. The time it takes for her seizures is less than a minute. If it is a big seizure, she needs to use a device to help stop and calm down her seizure. 

“I have gotten lonely because of my seizures, but I managed to get through it and make some friends now.”