Ewen McRae
For people living with epilepsy and their family, experiencing a seizure can be an all too common and scary part of everyday life.
Bacchus Marsh teenager Connor Manning, 16, has spent half his life living with the condition after he was first diagnosed at 8-years-old.
It’s something his mum, Caroline, said has meant some difficult and stressful times.
“Connor has uncontrolled seizures, which we have not been able to manage with medication,” Ms Manning said.
“We are still, all these years after his diagnosis, trying to work out where his seizures come from, why he has them. We just don’t know the cause.
“Connor has had seizures on school camps and even on top of the Pinnacle at the Grampians. They can happen at any time and are often severe.
“Recently, he had a different kind of seizure that was very scary. We had three ambulances and a micro-paramedic attending to him, which resulted in a visit to the emergency room.”
In October, Connor will be going into The Alfred Health’s First Seizure Clinic for a week-long video EEG.
“This will help to determine which part of Connor’s brain is affected by epilepsy,” Ms Manning said.
“We are hopeful that if they can identify where his seizures are occurring in the brain, he might be a candidate for surgery.”
The Manning family and friends, including friends in New South Wales and Queensland, are taking part in this year’s Epilepsy Foundation Walk for Epilespy – a virtual fundraising walk from October 1 to 25 in support of the 1 in 25 Australians who will have epilepsy in their lifetime.
“We are very grateful for the services we received from the foundation in the early days of Connor’s diagnosis and now. With Connor about to enter the workforce we will be looking for more assistance with workplace training to ensure he is supported at work,” Ms Manning said.
“So, we are walking to raise awareness of epilepsy and help to spread the word about what epilepsy is, and where to get help if you need it.”
The Epilepsy Foundation is hoping to have participants clock up more than 25,000 kilometres as part of this year’s virtual event.
To register, visit: www.walkforepilepsy.org.au.
