Epilepsy is Not the End of the World

Epilepsy is Not the End of the World

By Baylis

Several weeks ago, I posted a blog entitled “Aphasia is not the end of the world.” The first paragraph of that post included the following statements: “I admit that at times I need to remind myself that my mild case of aphasia is not the end of the world. Really, the only things I’ve lost are just some words, and usually it is only a temporary loss. I still have the things that really count in life. I still have my loving and supportive family. I still have a compassionate and praying church family. I still have considerate and helpful neighbors. I still have concerned and respectful colleagues and friends from more than forty years in higher education. I still have a team of knowledgeable and caring medical personnel. All of these people are individuals on whom I can lean. I have a real social network, not a virtual one. In addition to all these people, I still have my mind. A piece of advice to caregivers and friends, I really do not need sympathy. Please just be there when I need you, be supportive and encouraging at every step of the process, that’s the best gift you can give, and the thing I need the most.”

Ever since then I have been thinking that I should say something similar about my epilepsy. So here it is: “Epilepsy is not the end of the world.” With the exception of the big “C” word “CANCER,” probably the most feared disease is “EPILEPSY.” Epileptics are afraid of epilepsy because they don’t know what causes it. They don’t know if or when the next seizure will come. People around epileptics are afraid because they don’t know what the disease is and they don’t know what to do if someone is having a seizure. My wife is afraid because she was present when I had my first seizure and she says that she never wants to see something like that again. She is also afraid because she knows that I have to take my anti-seizure medication faithfully on a fixed schedule, and I have to watch my diet because certain foods have been known to interact negatively with my particular anti-seizure medication. She is afraid she will do something wrong and cause me problems.

One big difference between my mild aphasia and my epilepsy is that with work and practice, my aphasia seems to be getting better, while with my epilepsy I have to rely on medication to help keep the seizures at bay. As long as I take my medication faithfully, I have a good chance of not experiencing any more grand-mal seizures. It is not a guarantee, but a good chance. So it is not the end of the world.

Having spent forty years in the academy, I had to know more about the expression that I was using. What is the origin of the expression, “It’s not the end of the world?” The saying on a very popular T-shirt sold in the town of Resolute Bay is “Resolute Bay is not the end of the world, but you can see it from it here.” Resolute Bay is the second closest Canadian town to the North Pole.

Resolute Bay is an interesting name. How did the town get its name? It was named after the British mid-nineteenth century sailing ship HMS Resolute. HMS Resolute had been specially outfitted for Arctic exploration and during one expedition was trapped by ice as winter descended on Northern Canada. She was abandoned as her crew walked across the ice to safety in a small settlement, that later was name Resolute Bay. From that location they were able to contact England and let the Royal Navy know that the ship was abandoned. Queen Victoria renounced any claim to the ship. When spring came, some American whaling ships came across the Resolute and freed her from the thawing ice. Although the British navy had renounced any claim to the ship, the US Government as a sign of good will returned the ship to Queen Victoria is 1856. After another twenty years of naval service, the HMS Resolute was ordered to be dismantled by Queen Victoria. She had at least three desks made from its timbers, one of which she kept, one of which she presented to the widow of Henry Grinnell for his service to the British navy, and the third which she presented to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880 as a sign of appreciation.  This desk which became known as the Resolute Desk has been kept in the Oval Office or the President’s private office in the White House ever since. If the name Resolute Desk sounds familiar, it is probably because it was an integral part of the plot of the movie National Treasures: Book of Secrets.

I find it ironic that an expression that most likely was meant to carry a connotation of surrender and fear has behind it a story so closely related to courage, resolve and perseverance.  So when I say “Epilepsy is not the end of the world, but I can see it from here,” it doesn’t mean that I am giving up. It means that I don’t know what’s ahead, but I am ready to push ahead to find out. I have the things that really count in life. I have faith in a loving God. I still have my devoted and supportive family. I still have a compassionate and praying church family. I still have considerate and helpful neighbors. I still have concerned and respectful colleagues and friends from more than forty years in higher education. I still have a team of knowledgeable and caring medical personnel. All of these people are individuals on whom I can lean. I have a real live social network, in addition to my virtual one. On top of all these I have the will to press on toward that unknown that looks like the end of the world.