JENVON’S STORY

Living with Epilepsy for the past 35 years hasn’t been easy.  The hardest part of my journey has been accepting and living my truth.  As a child living in Washington D.C I was attending school and one day, a classmate stabbed me in the eye with a pencil.  The pencil lead was lodged in my left eye and the lead hit a nerve.  As a result, I began having seizures and from there I was diagnosed with epilepsy as a result of the trauma.  Following this experience, doctors were able to remove the pencil lead, but there was also a fracture that had caused my brain to swell.  Hesitant because of my age, my parents declined additional surgery and I went home to begin living with this condition.

Throughout my life, a few times have helped me both understand my circumstances and acknowledge the impact epilepsy has had on my life.  First, I had to accept my truth, which wasn’t easy.  I often asked myself, why me?  Why did God choose me to fight this battle?  Prayer has helped me to accept myself for who I am, epilepsy included.  God created me and I believe he didn’t make any mistake.  Secondly, I had to find the beauty and resolution within me.  I learned to be ME!  Epilepsy has made my story unique; I hope to share my experiences and perspective with others to encourage and help them on their journey.  Lastly, and this was essential, my courage to face epilepsy was renewed, allowing me to overcome my personal fears and reach out to others through Epitome of Epilepsy. 

Jenvon C.

Kind words you would like to share with a parent or someone newly diagnosed:
I would say to always use your voice and advocate for yourself first.

Connect with Jenvon C.:
Email: epitomeofepilepsysc@gmail.com
Website: www.epitomeofepilepsy.org
FB:  Epitome of Epilepsy
TikTok:  Jewel of Epilepsy