Michael (29) lives in Glasgow, Scotland. Michael was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 16 after having his first seizure on an aircraft shorty before its departure. At that time, Michael’s seizures involved a period of altered awareness, which resulted in a short period unawareness of his behaviour.
At the point of diagnosis, Michael recalls being informed that he would require to take anti-convulsant medication. Michael can find it difficult to tell people he has met about his epilepsy. Whilst studying for a degree in Politics and International Relations at the University of Aberdeen, he spent his summer holidays working in Germany and China.
Michael is a keen artist and used his skill to draw this self-portrait shortly after having a seizure in Germany, whilst in hospital. Michael enjoys life drawing, as well as painting portraiture and landscapes. Michael is passionate about travelling and about German culture in particular. He enjoys practising his German and regularly watches German films in order to keep his language skills sharp.
He has had serious accidents from tonic-clonic seizures and continues to have different injuries from seizures, as a result of having complex-partial seizures. Though his seizures continue to occur, Michael has moved to a flat in Glasgow, whilst studying a second degree in Business Administration at the University of Strathclyde. Though his family were concerned about Michael living away from home, Michael enjoys living independently and has made more friends.
Despite being prescribed a variety of different anti-convulsant medications, Michael continues to have seizures. However, this has not prevented him from studying for his second degree, which he is due to complete in 2017, or from pursuing his interests in art and in German culture. In the future, Michael’s main aim is to find a stable job, utilise his German language capacity and travel more. Michael’s dream would be to be an artist. We hope that Michael’s aims and ambitions can be successfully achieved.