Stephanie Vetne

Beth and I thought we would start this series with a bit of an introduction in case some of you are new to the blog. If you haven’t read from the beginning, you can start with our first post or start with Meet the Mom. 

The rest of this post is written by Beth:

I’m Beth. I’ll be fourteen in two months, and I’m in eighth grade. I’ve had epilepsy since I was five. It’s been a big part of my life, but I don’t let epilepsy define me. It’s just a part of me. But over the years I’ve had to learn that epilepsy and I are a package deal. It’s definitely not fun wondering when I’ll have my next seizure, who it will be in front of, where I’ll be, and whether I’ll fall and get hurt. But that’s the way it is.

I try to live a “normal” life, even though it’s not always easy. I play the cello in my school’s orchestra. I love to do my makeup and hair. I love getting the newest styles, and music is everything. I go to the occasional concert, the mall with my friends, the high school’s football games, and I try to be a teenage girl.

When I tell my friends that I have epilepsy they say, “You could never tell by looking at you.” I’m still not sure how I feel about that response. Should I think, “Okay, good, I can try and lead a normal life like everyone else,” or, “I don’t care if it shows; I’m not ashamed to have epilepsy!” That’s just one part of me. 

*If you’d like to read all of our 31 Days posts about living with epilepsy, click on the button on the sidebar or start here. And if you’re wondering what the heck is going on and who Beth is, click here. 🙂

Related links:

A courageous life Meet Beth Meet Mom Pre-diagnosis Beth’s first seizure Beth’s diagnosis What is epilepsy? Emily’s thoughts