Shenaz Haveliwala no longer fears her disease. Her medications have kept her seizure-free.
The youngster is today an entrepreneur, special educator, a counsellor for epilepsy patients at the Indian Epilepsy Association in Mumbai… an inspiration for many who have to battle even the prejudices surrounding epilepsy.
On Monday, National Epilepsy Awareness Day, standing before an audience of doctors and persons with epilepsy, at the SCTIMST here, Ms. Haveliwala, spoke about how no university could have taught her the lessons of life as much as epilepsy had done.
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Sureshkumar, a teacher, is epilepsy-free, thanks to treatment. “I never hid my disease from my friends. In fact, my colleagues helped me keep track of my medication schedule,” he said. Biju, an LIC employee, spoke about how proper treatment helped him get on with his life.
The day was all about reassuring the public that epilepsy was not the end of life. With modern drugs, psycho-social therapy, and surgical modalities, one could take control of one’s life.