79 People are diagnosed with epilepsy every day. Not one of them should have to feel frightened, lost or alone.

Last year Epilepsy Action helped more than 15,000 people through its free helpline, befriending, and talk and support groups.

In 2025 we’re going to help even more people, but we need your help to reach them.

This Christmas please make a donation and help us continue to provide vital people support to those that need it, like Chloe, Sarah and Emily.

Chloe, Sara and Emily were able to get the right support and advice because they found Epilepsy Action.

You can read their stories below, or watch them on our social media channels, to see the difference a donation makes to the lives of people with epilepsy.

“I AM STARTING TO FIND ACCEPTANCE

AND NOT BE AFRAID.”

Chloe’s story

Chloe was living the dream, working at the BBC, mixing with high-profile actors, her life was going great.

However, this all stopped suddenly when she reached 21. She had to go to hospital because of a bleed on the brain and then she started having seizures.

Chloe was in and out of hospital for a decade, with no real idea what was happening to her. Chloe was then told she had epilepsy. This turned her life upside down.

When asked how she felt after being told she had epilepsy, Chloe said:

“I felt my previous life was just snatched away, I was told ‘you’re not going to do that now’ it felt like everything was stolen from me.

“I remember being terrified, it’s that fear, the fear of the medication, fear of going out on my own, being unable to drive, what if I collapsed? Can I be a real Mum to my baby? It was lots of little things.”

“I suffered with guilt, that I was a disappointment to my family. And that I couldn’t be a real Mum to my baby.”

Thankfully, Chloe found Epilepsy Action, she found the right support and a better journey with epilepsy.

Sara’s story

Sara was 22 years old when she got her first acting job. She was on stage during a children’s theatre tour.

Sara had a seizure on stage in front of hundreds of children and their teachers. 

She never wanted to go on stage again, out of fear she would have another seizure, that’s when epilepsy starts to take Sara’s life away.

She wasn’t able to drive, she couldn’t achieve her dream.

She said: “I miss out on roles because I cannot drive, I cannot get to location.”

Luckily, Sara was able to find a new community through Epilepsy Action. She was able to read stories just like this and discover she wasn’t alone.

She said: “I love being part of the comedy community, it’s given me a sense of belonging.”

“Your lovely messages on social media really touched me

“I didn’t think an organisation would be engaged with what I had to say and for that, I am truly grateful.”

Emily’s story

For Emily, epilepsy really took a toll on her mental health.

She said: “I was 10 years old when I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I had my first tonic clonic seizure on New Year’s Eve at a sleep over.”

At school, her teachers wrote her off without knowing the truth. She felt that throughout her education, she had people dictating what she ‘could’ and ‘couldn’t’ do.

She said: “I had no support, no one to talk about my epilepsy.

“I want to just give up or find a place to hide where no one could find me.”

That’s until she found Epilepsy Action. Emily found that reading stories like this about epilepsy helped her on her own journey.

Emily said: “I have thought that maybe if I told my story, it could help someone to not feel that they are alone and raise awareness about the experiences, maybe it will help me start to find some peace.”