Sue's Adventure: The Impact of Volunteering

I have volunteered with neurology patients at major hospital in both New York and Denver, and they lacked a "go-to" resource for all sorts needs that neuro-typical people take for granted like transportation, education, identification, explanation, and so on. So I created S.E.I.Z.E. -- Support & Empower Individuals Zealously Everyday -- a collection of resources for neurologically impaired patients designed to help make their lives more livable. These snippets are some of my highlights and of S.E.I.Z.E.'s impact:

Jalene had difficulty explaining to her children what epilepsy was and why it effected her the way it did. I suggested she compare it to a lightning storm in her brain. In nature when lightning strikes, the lights can go out. Her unusual behavior during a seizure was like lightning striking inside her brain -- the lights go out for a little while, but they always come back on.

Tommy had dropped out of college because his seizures made it hard for him to focus. S.E.I.Z.E. offered options for online education. When I visited the next week, he'd registered for a math and a communications class at one of the online local colleges, and was talking about how good it felt to be moving toward future goals.

Lisa didn't want to wear a medic alert bracelet because she thought it made it look like there was something wrong with her. But when she saw mine, she admired its discretion. She asked me who the manufacturer was, and I told her it was was Lauren's Hope (www.laurenshope.com). The company's info was available in the S.E.I.Z.E. document. She found them online right away and ordered the same bracelet as mine, but in blue.  

Many patients were surprised that I ventured out alone with epilepsy, and many thanked me for showing them that independence was possible. They are the inspiration for Epilectra, and S.E.I.Z.E. has morphed into my nonprofit, SEEZ.(www.SEEZ.us)

Submit your own superhero story here.