About Sally Gomersall
Sally Gomersall developed epilepsy at fifteen months old; and lived the majority of her life with the condition.
For Sally, epilepsy meant fear; fear of having a seizure; and the fear that shows in other people’s faces when they learnt about her condition.
Diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy at the age of two, Sally had frequent complex partial seizures and after each seizure she would be very confused and disoriented. In addition to coping with the seizures, Sally also had to manage with the numerous social difficulties that arose as a result of living with epilepsy.
In the working world prejudice and negative attitudes prevailed. Her first boss had no knowledge of epilepsy or how it felt to live with the condition; so much so that he would pressure Sally to stop the events happening at work! A vicious circle was created: the more he pressed, the more stress he added; increasing the frequency of her seizures. Another employer even transferred Sally to another office. The additional fatigue further increased the length of her day. The vicious circle continued.
After the birth of her first baby in 1991 fatigue and anxiety increased the frequency of her seizures again. With the birth of her second child and after years of pressuring her general neurologist, Sally was finally referred to an epilepsy specialist consultant at the National Society for Epilepsy Society. The consultant had harsh news for Sally; she discovered that she was at great risk of Sudden Unexpected Death due to Epilepsy (SUDEP) and would most likely not reach her 40th birthday if her seizures could not be stopped.
After many tests to determine whether an operation would stop the seizures, the brain surgery took place within nine months of first meeting the specialist epilepsy consultant. As seizure free days, weeks and months passed, Sally’s confidence gradually grew and her fear of having a seizure slowly decreased. Ten years later, Sally has yet to have another seizure.
If Sally had not insisted on being referred to an epilepsy specialist consultant at an NHS tertiary centre for epilepsy, she probably would not be here today.
"Unfortunately too many individuals with epilepsy do not access specialist epilepsy services and some do not receive appropriate information about their condition that enables them, and their family, to make informed decisions about treatments and care," explains Sally. "Epilepsy Awareness was created to empower people who care for individuals with epilepsy with the confidence and understanding needed to support vulnerable individuals with epilepsy, and access optimal treatment and care within the NHS."
Following treatment at The National Society for Epilepsy Society NSE that stopped her seizures, Sally became involved with NSE the charity as a volunteer. She was elected to the board in 2001 by the associate membership.
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