Clara Sequin is one of thousands of young people in Ireland living with epilepsy. She has had to grow up quickly, says Áilin Quinlan.
UNLIKE many of her more happy-go-lucky peers, 20-year-old Clara Sequin has to think carefully before going out two nights in a row.
The same goes for managing her stress levels, eating a healthy diet, and ensuring she gets enough sleep.
Because if the young shop assistant doesn’t make a point of looking ahead and being mindful of how she lives, she could end up having a massive seizure.
Clara, from Carrigaholt, Co Clare, is one of thousands of young people with epilepsy in Ireland today. Having the condition, she says, has made her grow up far faster than she would otherwise have done — and it’s affected her ability to spread her wings and take to the skies like most young adults. “I feel it has affected my independence,” she says.
“Driving would be an issue for me — I have to have a seizure-free year before I can even think about getting lessons.”
he also worries about future job prospects. “You’d also be afraid that the epilepsy would be a burden for people — for example, you’d be afraid it could affect your job prospects because people are a bit nervous of epilepsy.”
All of this, she says, has made her more anxious about the future than she would otherwise have done.
“You have to grow up a lot faster than you should. It makes you worry about things you shouldn’t really have to be thinking about. You’re constantly worrying — will I be able to drive in 10 years’ time? Will I be able to live independently?”
She used to get frustrated when she was first diagnosed — at 17— but now she says she accepts it.
“I have learned to live with it,” she says of her condition, which affects a total of about 40,000 people in this country. Epilepsy can occur at any age, though it is most common in early childhood before the age of seven, in adolescents 15-30 or in adults over the age of 60.
For young people like Clara, epilepsy can pose significant challenges, points out Peter Murphy, CEO of Epilepsy Ireland.
“Epilepsy can have a huge impact on young people’s lives especially in the areas of education, careers and driving,” he says.
“We estimate that each year there will be 500-600 students with epilepsy sitting the Leaving Cert exams and that at least a third of these students have uncontrolled seizures.
“For these students in particular, the threat of a seizure is a constant worry that can in an instant destroy years of hard work preparing for a terminal exam.
“We work with families every year in this situation and for some the fear becomes a reality forcing students to unnecessarily repeat their Leaving Cert a year later.”
On top of that, he says trying to carve out a career for a young person with epilepsy can sometimes be difficult — though in most cases it shouldn’t hinder progress. However, any young person with epilepsy will find it difficult to work in a job that will require them to drive a lorry or bus, for example.
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