Lori Cooper

The Problem Child Lori Cooper

I was in my mid-twenties when I was first diagnosed with epilepsy. Married with 3 kids, terrified but also relieved that after years of being told I was crazy, stupid, overreacting, psychotic, a crybaby (among many other things) I finally had an answer to what I believed was a manageable condition. From infancy I fought to live, that's where my life-long neurological battle began. I was misdiagnosed and written off as an emotionally disturbed attention-seeker while begging doctors to fix my body. I have battled fear, loss, rejection, abandonment, defeat, and learned how to taste victory all the while. This isn't a sob story or the ranting of a bitter woman with an ax to grind, but rather one of victory. This book is my swan song from the mental slavery that has held me back for so many years. I was able to escape my living hell but this is not the case for so many people living with epilepsy and other neurological conditions. Some live in fear of others knowing and some don't even know they are truly sick (possibly because they've been told it's all in their head). I hope that telling my story will cast light on this dark stigma and open a dialog that is long overdue. It's time to break the silence. Loving a person with epilepsy is hard, but not nearly as hard as facing the stigma of the disease (or any disability for that matter). We are not crazy, we are not stupid, and we deserve to be heard, loved, and understood.