As part of a project at his day-service in RehabCare, Andrew Beaver decided he wanted to do it on epilepsy, epilepsy awareness and Epilepsy Ireland - which he shared in the form of a personal story in the lead up to International Epilepsy Day 2025....
My name is Andrew. I am 22 years of age. I attend a day service in Wexford called RehabCare and I wanted to share my story so I can spread awareness of epilepsy and seizure first aid.
When I was a child, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I am one of 45,000 people diagnosed with epilepsy in Ireland. Epilepsy is the one of the most common neurological disorders in Ireland. Treatment is very individualized. Epilepsy can be treated with medication or by following a strict Ketogenic diet.
To help my seizures, I take medication daily and I stick to a Ketogenic diet. The Ketogenic diet is an eating pattern that includes high amounts of fat, low to moderate amounts of protein and very little carbohydrates.
Eating this way helps me to manage my seizures. I have been on the ketogenic diet for 16 years, which is the longest anyone has continuously been on this diet in Ireland. It is tough at times but I know that I need to keep at it if I want to reduce my seizures.
I have learned a lot from the Epilepsy Ireland website. When I have a seizure, I tell everyone I know to remember Time, Safe, Stay:
TIME: If a person goes into a seizure the first thing you should do is time the seizure. If the seizure is over 5 minutes long, you must ring the ambulance.
SAFE: Keep the person safe for the duration of the seizure. Never place anything in a person’s mouth while they are having the seizure and do not restrain a person while they are having a seizure.
STAY: During the seizure and after it passes, make sure to stay with them because after the seizure the person can feel confused or exhausted.
You should call and ambulance
•If a seizure goes over 5 minutes
•If it’s the persons first time having a seizure
•If the person has difficulty breathing after the seizure
•If the person is injured during the seizure
•If the person does not regain consciousness or has had several seizures without regaining consciousness
In 50% of cases there is no known cause for epilepsy and a person can be diagnosed at any stage of life, so I think it’s so important for people to be aware of epilepsy and Time, Safe, Stay.
Thank you for reading my story.
Thank you Andrew for sharing your story with us and for doing your project on epilepsy awareness.
If you or your loved one need any information or support about epilepsy, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your local Community Resource Officer. Visit the ‘Our Local Service’ page on our website to find details of your local Community Resource Officer.