Help Me Fight Epilepsy Debt

               December of 2007 I experienced my first seizure. On this night I was with my high school basketball team, it was 4am we were on a coach bus leaving for the Chicago O’Hare air port. I was so excited to be going to San Diego for basketball, but we didn’t get far from the school before I went into my first seizure. I woke up with my coach holding me up all my teammates staring at me, and for what I didn’t know.

This was my very first seizure! I didn’t feel unusual at all, I had no warnings that it was going to happen, it just happened. I didn’t even know what had happened until I became fully conscious again, and even then I was still confused. I remember telling my coach who was holding me “let me go I can walk” but every time he would attempt to let go I would fall back into his arms I couldn’t understand why I was too weak to stand on my own, I broke down and started to cry in the middle of the bus aisle.                          

I was rushed to the emergency room and diagnosed with (JME) Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy and put on medication for the rest of my life that night. That night was suppose to be a great night for me, my first time on a plane and to somewhere warm unlike Wisconsin! Nevertheless, I think I had it good having my first seizure in front of my team because I had no explaining to do. I would have not known how to tell them I have epilepsy now. This way my whole team knew, yes they had questions, but they knew I was just as confused as they were. I knew nothing about epilepsy then.

I thought epilepsy changed my teenage life I had to rest, get enough sleep, and remember to take medication twice a day all three things I was not familiar with. I played varsity basketball, ran varsity track, had a social life, Homework, and even a part time job at culvers. I didn't have time to waste resting! Looking back now though all those things are so minor compared to what it has done to my adult life. I had no insurance, and my credit has been ruined by medical bills I work hard to pay all my bills on time and to try to keep up with everything, on top of buying the expensive medication my life depends on but with my credit the way it is I can’t get anywhere in life, it has even prevented me from getting better paying jobs even though it is medical debt! Help me start over in the world of "credit".

A quick example of how this affects me. Me and my younger sister are almost exactly a year apart so we do things around the same time like buying our first cars, and applying for credit cards. I make almost $4 more than my sister, and in every circumstance she comes out on top some places even denying me completely. I am paying over 15,000 on a car that isn't even worth 6,000 because I am seen only by my credit score ruined by medical bills. I want to be a home owner one day; I want to have the same interest rates as my sister and every other young person! I was robbed of my clean slate and fresh start in the adult world and just need help to fix it.

Daily bills and the stress of added medical bills changed my life like I could never have imagined! Thank you for reading my story and any donation you make.