First Time Mom with Epilepsy

7 years ago, Yamilet had her first seizure. “It came out of nowhere” she said. “I lost consciousness, I don’t know where I was…” Prior to her first seizure, Yamilet was a happy, cheerful kid and only developed Epilepsy in her early 30’s. “I struggled with medications, the idea of getting used to taking medication was hard for me… It was worse because I would still have seizures while I took the medication.” Yamilet would grow frustrated after many attempts at trying new medications and nothing would work. “Some medications dropped my red blood cells and would still have seizures… I almost died.” After finding out she was a candidate for surgery, doctors removed a piece of her temporal lobe. With hopes, Yamilet thought that after going through surgery, she would be cured. She continued having seizures and was frustrated because she thought that by having the surgery, the seizures would end completely. A couple of years ago, she became pregnant with her first child. “I was scared when I found out I was pregnant… I was scared because I didn’t want to pass this down to him.” Yamilet reports her son is a happy and healthy baby. Today, Yamilet still struggles with seizures but the frequency decreases over time. “I am so grateful for the access to doctors that Epilepsy Alliance Florida has provided me with. I also am grateful for the sense of community I am a part of in the support groups.”