A woman who was diagnosed with epilepsy a little over 12 months ago was inspired to start a blog about the challenges of living with the condition.
Katy Mann found out she had the condition and was immediately concerned about the problems it could present as a parent; she has two children, ten-year-old James and five-year-old Emily.
As a consequence of her condition, Katy regularly suffers Atonic seizures, which cause her to fall several times a day.
Writing for the Huffington Post, she said that she had looked to find ways to deal with the daily realities. She cannot drive, relies mostly on ready meals and is often confined to the house.
Following a recent holiday abroad, it took her more than a week to recover from the rigors of the trip.
She said that her son and daughter had been “fantastic”, helping with chores and raising the alarm if their mum suffers an especially bad seizure.
“They’ve had to grow up faster than I would like but I’m proud of them both for knowing what to do in an emergency,” she said.
“James walks behind me with a duvet so he can catch me when I fall. Emily holds on to me and tells me to “SIT DOWN MUMMY” when she sees me get up as only a bossy five year old can.
“James can push me short distances in the wheelchair and quite enjoys having that control over me! He threatens to push me down hills on a regular basis.”
Katy has said that, despite the present difficulties, she remains hopeful that her quality of life will improve and also wants her blog to act as an inspiration to other parents in a similar position.