Miracle Triplet Defies the Odds

Gayle Brisbane, mother of premature triplets, describes daughter Abby’s fight for her life by overcoming an E-coli infection as a baby in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). “We were kind of sitting around, basically waiting for her to die. I mean here she was, not even two pounds, trying to fight off an infection […]

Two Wheels To Three Wheels After Epilepsy Diagnosis

Co-authored by: Susan Reed and Joshua Bourn Meet Susan Reed, 71, from Tucson, Arizona. Susan was diagnosed with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) when she was 68 years old. According to her research, she is among the 60 percent whose reason why she developed epilepsy remains unknown. Initial Diagnosis Susan returned from one of her regular […]

A TALE OF 2 ATROCITIES – (Special Edition)

Meet Cecilia Garcia, 44, and her daughter, Emily Garcia, 18. Emily is among the more than 80% of reported women with intellectual disabilities who have been sexually assaulted during their lifetimes (*Craft, 1994). She was raped last year at a recreational establishment for youth. This story is as much about her struggles as her successes and future aspirations.

Carpe D-Watkins: Seize Your Attitude

Imagine – you’re 15 years old and about to walk through the magical gates of Disneyland in beautiful California. Suddenly, you feel yourself start to lose consciousness amid a large group of fellow mouseketeers. Next thing you realize is your only ride for the day will be in your parents’ car, after you’ve received an explanation from a stranger that you may have just had a seizure. This is how Danielle Watkins, 28, came to discover she had epilepsy. It’s been a roller coaster ride ever since.

Paws for The Cause

On the eve of meeting his first seizure assistance dog, 10-year-old Nathan Schoonover, from Tomah, Wisconsin, excitedly anticipates life with his future yellow Labrador/ best friend, Bella. Meanwhile, Nathan’s grandmother Florette, and single mother Kari, recount the family’s journey to this point.

Stephen Allen Bikes the Colorado Trail

It has been over 4 years since Seize the World Foundation founder, Stephen Allen, completed his round the world bicycle tour to raise awareness for epilepsy. In fact, Seize the World was founded as a conduit to inform the world of this tour and inspire others living with epilepsy. In July, Stephen embarked on another inspirational adventure, a 2-week mountain bikepacking tour of the Colorado Trail.

Steven Riss: Perseverance Against Epilepsy

Steven Riss sometimes can’t believe that it’s possible to simply get in a car and drive. That is because Steven has epilepsy. And he remembers well when he lost the freedom to drive at the beginning his senior year of high school.

A Thicker Skin

In September of 2009, Seize the World interviewed Deanna Adams just after she completed the Great Divide Mountain Bike Race (GDMBR). Deanna is a vegan athlete from Prescott, Arizona. She also has Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy and suffers from Grand Mal seizures. However, this did not stop her from becoming the youngest woman to complete the race on a fixed gear bicycle or “fixie” at age 20.

Paying It Forward

Tina White is a 36-year-old mother of two living in Denver, Colorado. Tina also has epilepsy and suffers from tonic-clonic (grand mal) and complex partial seizures. Epilepsy has been a huge hurdle, but Tina has overcome many challenges with help from a generous community that includes her family and her friends as well as a chocolate lab named Jersey who is a trained epilepsy alert dog. She has also helped herself through her own perseverance and acceptance.

There Is No Strength Where There Is No Struggle

Rebecca has decided to embrace perseverance and optimism, finding happiness through her work, and even helping others to find ways to live more independently through her work with an organization called Domesti-Pups.