Epilepsy Talk
Who is Your Personal Hero? | February 14, 2023
For me, it was my Grandfather, who believed in me completely and thought that I could accomplish anything I set out to do.
At the age of 14, I said I wanted to be a writer.
“Fine,” he said. “You’ll go to the Columbia School of Journalism.”
(Unfortunately he died long before that and nobody else had any faith in me. They all thought I was “damaged goods.”)
My husband is my second hero for being so steadfast and true.
He is supportive through thick and thin. (Even my attempted suicide.)
And he actually made it possible for me to become an epilepsy advocate.
I quit my “day job” as a promotional freelance writer and joined his company as VP of Community Outreach.
That’s how Epilepsy Talk was born.
And of course, ALL of you are my personal heroes. Compassionate and caring. Generous and giving.
Without you, I don’t know what I’d do.
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Epilepsy Talk 
For me, without a doubt, my hero is my 32 year old son Jonathan who was clinical dead twice.
He got bit by a tick at the age of 5.
Unfortunately the tick carried Borrelia, Lyme disease that attacked the brain and caused encephalitis.
Yonathan was in a coma for 2 months and the Doctors told us he is not going to make it.
Today he suffers from severe epilepsy, speech problems and mild retardation.
But he is alive!
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Comment by Chava Linder — February 14, 2023 @ 10:46 AM
What a fighter! What a hero. I can see why you are so proud.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 14, 2023 @ 11:20 AM
Thank you! On top of all, Jonathan has endured 5 brain surgeries, being so brave and accepting.
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Comment by Chava Linder — February 14, 2023 @ 11:24 AM
Wow!…. incredible!
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Comment by Aaron Holmes — February 14, 2023 @ 5:23 PM
Wow! What a story😉👍
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Comment by Kenneth — February 14, 2023 @ 11:51 AM
Like most of the stories in this Blog, I find your story about Personal Heroes wonderful. Thank you.
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Comment by William Lipkin — February 14, 2023 @ 2:56 PM
I have had several major influences in my life but most recently, Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer, has been a great Hero of mine….. moving to America when he was 24, from Mexico, working in the back of a PetSmart in San Diego for years, being known as “El Perrito” (little dog boy) because he was the only person who could groom the unruly dogs!
Eventually having a TV show, and then the first ever Dog Psychology Center, to now, owning tons of property in Southern CA where he rehabs hundreds of “broken” dogs!!
After doing Dog Behavior work professionally for the last 14 years, he has been an amazing teacher and someone I could always look to no matter what the situation I was working with!
Thank you Cesar! And thank you Phyllis! 😀
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Comment by Aaron Holmes — February 14, 2023 @ 5:19 PM
Who would have known? And so many people have joked, calling themselves, or others, the cat whisperer, the horse whisperer, etc.
I frankly think Arthur, (my husband) is a horse whisperer. But maybe that’s because he talks the horses out of throwing me off their backs.
Here’s to you Cesar. And even all the wannabes! 😊
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 14, 2023 @ 5:26 PM
Actually….. heres the super funny thing about all that….. Cesar speaks very frankly, saying, “Im not a Dog Whisperer, if anything Im a Human Whisperer!”…… firstly, because he teaches that you dont talk to the dog and expect any results, they dont speak English 😛
And secondly, its never about the dog….. Cesar says, “I rehab dogs, I TRAIN humans”……. and its absolutely hands down the truth!! Its never the dog, its always the human! Most humans unfortunately do not get this, so dogs keep being bred for money, sent to the rescues for adoption, or even euthenized because they cant interact healthily in society!
As well, very interestingly, dog psychology and horse psychology are virtually identical! Its due to the nature of their “pack psychology” 😀
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Comment by Aaron Holmes — February 14, 2023 @ 5:31 PM
The Dog Whisperer, was the name National Geographic gave the show, when they first launched, Cesar himself, has never used that term……. and people try to call me that all the time too, cute……. but not accurate at all 😀
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Comment by Aaron Holmes — February 14, 2023 @ 5:32 PM
Oh and Happy Valentines Day Phyllis and everyone! I hope you are your husband have a great evening 😀
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Comment by Aaron Holmes — February 14, 2023 @ 5:34 PM
You are a Godsend to your son. Short of the wrath of, and results of military battle, I cannot imagine what day-to-day unexpected challenges you and your son may face. God bless and I wish your son and your family well.
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Comment by Roy Anthony — February 14, 2023 @ 6:18 PM
My dad.
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Comment by Bonnie C Sutherland — February 14, 2023 @ 8:06 PM
My mother, who is not just today my valentine, but my Angel as well. She was always there when more than 95% of all my seizures has happened at home, as those others about 10 of them were not in her vision, or site, BUT there was 1 I had here at home on a day I brought her home from the hospital, & I felt she should had stayed there for 1 more day at least, but she was released. Later that evening as my sister & her husband was here, I had a BAD GRAND MAL & my sister did not want mom to see me in it and neither did I, BUT MY SISTER KNEW NOTHING of what to do when a person is getting ready to go into a seizure, as when I yelled at her to make her get weight off of me, of course MOM knew something was happening to me, as good old brother in-law saw to it that mom was not getting up to come to me. THAT was pure hell, knowing something BAD was going to happen to me, & my mom was not good, & I had a sister having half her weight on me, as I was already in a space where not much was around me lying on the floor. That was JUNE of 2021, knowing that my FIGHTER & HERO, & ANGEL was not feeling so good, & the STRESS of all of that made a seizure to happen,and since that day we both are now doing better, BUT MY GRANDMOTHER my moms mom always told me as did my mom, that they BOTH would trade places with me of it meant I never had a seizure, which BOTH are my hero & ANGEL, as I know about my GRANDMOTHER HEART, the same can be said for my mom, as they both have a PURE HEART, & I know that the both WILL SEE GOD. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. MATTHEW 5:8 I think as it is 1 of the 12 BEATITUDES that Jesus spoke of. But I try to do the IMPOSSIBLE where in Matthew 5:48 says,, Be perfect, as your father in heaven is perfect. So MY MOM, GRANDMOM & JESUS CHRIST all 3 are HERO’S to me, as they both told me about Jesus Christ & always said that God will always have my life in his hands, & will always be there for me, & after over 62 years living with a condition I never wanted, I know they were right.
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Comment by James D — February 14, 2023 @ 8:56 PM