Rolle had to miss his first 10 games of the 2007 season because he was suffering from seizures — something he did not readily disclose at first because of how it could affect him as a professional athlete.

His family decided to come forward and reveal his epilepsy — a courageous feat given the often brutal NFL and media environment. When asked about his seizures he said, “I’d get heat flashes or sweat profusely. Sometimes I’d go on an interview, and I could’ve sworn I’d been there before, done that before.”

He also said, “Other times, I would get a funny scent, like a paint smell.” He had been suffering from more frequent seizures in the previous two years and finally saw a doctor for a diagnosis. After receiving treatment he went on to become one of the best Baltimore Ravens cornerbacks of all time. While he is considered one of the most famous athletes who suffers from being disabled, there are many more inspirational success stories for athletes at all levels of competition.

November 13th – Living with Epilepsy: A Positive Perspective

Hello, my name is Chris Young, and I was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2014 at age 19. Following my freshman year of college, I was like any other college student. Excited for a summer of no school, no homework, no tests, just memories with friends and family.

On June 25th, 2014, my life changed forever. That morning, I was driving from a friend’s house at about 8:30 am to go home and get ready for work. I didn’t feel any different or feel anything unusual. I started my drive home, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in a neck brace in an ambulance very confused. The first responder told me that I had flipped my vehicle in a head on collision. I was taken to the hospital and the police officer who worked the wreck, officer Hamm, told me that I had faded into oncoming traffic and ramped a red Cadillac car. I asked how the person was because I was terrified they could’ve been injured severely. He said that they were fine and were concerned for me because they could tell something wasn’t right. Boy were they right!

Now let’s fast forward a few months. I had been getting rides to work, primarily from my girlfriend (now fiancé) and family. My mother is an RN, and knew that I needed to get checked out. I had an EKG, and the results were normal. The doctor then recommended an EEG. I don’t remember much from around that time, in all transparency, I don’t know that I wasn’t having fairly consistent seizures. I do remember being told that I was epileptic by my doctor. Confused, I told my mom, “But I don’t feel that different. I don’t feel like I look like an epileptic person.” My mom asked, “what does an epileptic person look like?” I was stumped. I didn’t actually know what that meant. My ignorance was checked, and I then understood that I had zero knowledge about the medical diagnosis I had received, or my peers who were also struggling with the same disorder. My doctor recommended some lifestyle changes, Diet, sleep, no alcohol, medication just to name a few. I started out on 500mg of Keppra, and carried on through the semester with classes and work getting rides, as I knew that you were supposed to wait 6 months following a seizure to drive.

The question was where did this come from? With my neurologist, we could only hypothesize. I had sustained several traumatic head injuries/concussions throughout high school playing soccer. To this day, we don’t really know being that I have no real family history of epilepsy.

All seemed like it was well on the regime until February 22nd, 2015. I had a break through seizure in my college humanities class. I remember waking up with fire fighter asking me the name of the president. That one was an easy question, Obama had been the president since like 9 years, I mean come on, right? But he asked me my age. That’s where it got tricky. I would say 18 when in reality, I was 20. I had another seizure that afternoon at my parents house. After consulting my neurologist, we increased my dose of Keppra. Although I had probably around 10 seizures between February 22nd and April 17th. I even ended up in the ER twice (in the same day) for IV Keppra. The dose was increased to my current dose of 3500mg/day. The neurologist ultimately added Lamictal & that was increased & now I take 200mg twice each day.

Now, that was my story. In my opinion, the life changes and implication that I’m about to discuss are the most important part of this post. I learned a lot of massive things from this. I learned that AED medications have a lot of side effects. I learned that I had to control what I could. First, I’ll discuss the medications. Keppra has a reputation for emotional and psychological side effects. I remember these all too clear. I remember the feeling of pure rage with no true reason. I remember throwing things. I remember breaking things. I remember wanting to bad to scream and yell. I remember my girlfriend telling me, “I can tell when the medicine is talking.” I would say things I didn’t mean. I would pick fights. I don’t know why she stated with me through that, but I sure am glad she did. I remember saying things to her, seeing her get upset and start crying because I felt so guilty. I felt like I was going crazy. This wasn’t who I am deep down, and I knew that. I decided I had to come up with a way to communicate when I felt this unnecessary rage. I couldn’t come up with a solid code word for feeling like a jerk, so I simply called it “code word.” Genius right? I began to inform my family, girlfriend and friends know when I felt this way. I always had an optimistic outlook on life, which made this change substantial. I remember feeling depression. I was able to identify with people who had it. That being said, I was still generally optimistic and happy, go-lucky. I felt bipolar. I at times had suicidal thoughts, though thankfully they were brief and few and far between. For all my friends out there who are struggling with all of the side effects, my thoughts and prayers are with you, and I’ll always be in your corner, on your side, and supportive in any way I’m capable of.

What I’ve learned here is this: In life with epilepsy, or any disease or disorder, all you can do is control what you can. I’ll start with the two easiest ones my neurologist discussed with me. Make sure you’re eating enough and your blood sugar doesn’t drop and ensure you’re getting enough sleep. I was always a baby about sleep any way, so there weren’t a lot of complaints on that side of things. The next one, however, a little uncomfortable. I had to make sure that I wasn’t really drinking. I had no idea that alcohol greatly enhanced the chances of seizure activity. In high school, I drank with friends at parties (sorry mom and dad) At the age of 19, and in college, even up to now at 24, drinking happens all around me. At first, I felt very uncomfortable. My family enjoys a refreshing adult beverage as much as the next! My friends drank some. Everybody talked about bars and parties. To be honest, I felt that pressure for awhile. What if I just had a beer here and there? It couldn’t hurt too bad right? Well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized.. Is it really worth it? I decided that maybe it was okay to go hang out with friends that were drinking and relax and have a good time with them. Then, I could go home, go to bed and get the rest I needed. Sure, it was probably less fun than it would be to go party with my friends. But hey, you have to control what you can. What was most important is that I was spending time with the people I cared about. And the best part? I realized my friends supported me. Sure this was to be expected, but it was reassuring nonetheless. The other thing I realized is how much support I had. And for that, I’ll be forever grateful to those people and God for placing them in my life.

In the coming years, I became more and more involved with my school. I was a management major, and I found that my passion was in sales and marketing. So I changed my major my junior year (this is like my senior year, I was behind because college is so much fun when you can’t drive a couple years, why would you ever wanna leave, right?) I became involved with our sales program. I was fortunate enough to be able to travel around the country and compete in competitions regarding selling a product. I met with employers, networked, and made friends all around the country. Through this opportunity, I gained the opportunity for an internship. The catch? It was in Fort Myers, Florida. That’s about 1500 miles out of my comfort zone in Edmond, Oklahoma. I decided that this was something I had to do. Not just for my career and resume, but to prove to myself I could do it. I went. I missed my girlfriend, my friends and family back home. I knew this was an opportunity to grow and become a stronger person. I knew I would be tested. Believe it or not, at this internship, 150 sales interns staying in dorms has the opportunity to turn into a party. You bet it did every weekend. People would always ask, “Chris let’s take a shot!” Or “Chris, have a beer!” And every time I would respectfully decline. They would ask why, and I would simply say “I’m not supposed to medically.” I remember saying that a lot the first couple weekends. Then, I realized. People remembered that I said that, they respected that decision, but more importantly, just like my friends back home, they didn’t care. It didn’t bother them. They didn’t judge me. I remember my buddy at the internship told me, “Man, I’m glad you hang out with us at the pregame and go out to the bars for a bit! It’s so cool you’re comfortable and okay with that!” That’s when I hit a point where I was at peace with the fact that people, ultimately, want what’s best for each other. A year later, I work for the same company at the office in Dallas.

Now, when people ask me why I have the mentality I have, I normally don’t have much more of an answer than “Why not?” It comes down to this: you can’t control your diagnosis or your situation, you can only adapt your life to adjust and create a normal that works for you. The people that matter understand that this isn’t your fault, even if it feels uncomfortable at times. Therefore, I always remember, it could be worse. Each day without a seizure is a blessing. You can use your situation to be your ultimate motivator that puts things in perspective. You can control your emotions because at the end of the day, we were given the innate ability to overcome. All we have to do is try and control what we can. Once we become at peace and with our situation, then we are free. As a religious man, I believe God gave me this for a reason. I want to use it to grow. I believe that we can all use our situation, even if less than ideal, to grow. Success is in the journey, and we all have our journey as we travel through life.

With regards to epilepsy, my heart goes out to all of my peers. To all of you adapting to new medications, I’ve been there. I’m with you. To all of you who have seizures that aren’t fully controlled, I’m praying for you, and keep your head up. The thing about epilepsy, is that it is incredibly misunderstood and underrepresented. I would know, when I was first diagnosed, I said “I don’t look like an epileptic person.” Our goal is to help people find the care and support they need, promote awareness, and inspire those who are struggling with epilepsy with their journey and grow.

If any of you reading these ever need anything, shoot me a text or email. My information is at the bottom.

God Bless,

Your friend,

Chris Young