Thanks to your continued support through the Bighearted scheme, Epilepsy Scotland has been able to support more people than ever before through our ongoing services.

Epilepsy Scotland works with people living with epilepsy to ensure that their voice is heard. 58,000 people in Scotland live with epilepsy, our services are focused on improving the mental, physical, and financial wellbeing of people with epilepsy and their families.

Your kind donation helps support people through a multitude of challenges and bring people living with epilepsy together.

55,000 people in Scotland live with epilepsy

Ryan was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was a young child. Here he shares his experiences of living with epilepsy, how our youth group helped him and why he decided to volunteer for Epilepsy Scotland.

“I have tonic-clonic seizures. My arms and legs jerk, I lose consciousness, my breathing is noisy, and my lips go blue / purple colour. I also have focal impaired-aware seizures. I stare at something, or I will say something random or out of context. These last from a few seconds up to one minute.

School was a challenge because I found it hard to concentrate and I was easily distracted. If I had a seizure the night before I would go into school a bit later so that I could have time to recover. Some staff understood and knew what to do, some teachers didn’t though.

At the Epilepsy Scotland youth group, I have had the opportunity to meet new friends and try out different activities with the groups. Also, I have been on residential trips which have given me the confidence in taking part in activities that I never thought I could do before.

Since being part of the youth group, my confidence has changed a lot and I have become more independent than before. The group has helped me develop as my own person. I have been able to talk to other people a lot more – peers, adults, and children. I feel more able to talk about epilepsy and my own experiences.

Through volunteering, I’ve gained confidence, the ability to talk about my epilepsy and how it affects me as a person. This led to Epilepsy Scotland nominating me for the National Youth Work Awards 2022 and I was selected as a finalist!

For anyone who has been recently diagnosed with epilepsy I’d say, ‘you will be okay. Get support from your family and friends. Contact Epilepsy Scotland for more information and support. Try to meet someone else who is living with epilepsy.’

Being part of the youth group has meant that I don’t worry about my epilepsy so much.”