Epilepsy and Brain Disorders

Ann Marie O’Connor is an Education Assistant for Grades K-12, where she works primarily with students who suffer from FAS/ ADHD and ODD. She is also a Canadian Advocate for Epilepsy and former Vice President for the Edmonton and Northern Alberta Epilepsy Association, where she was on the Board of Directors for over 11 years. She has published two books and had several articles written on her behalf (Surgical Neurology International/Your Health Magazine/Spruce Grove Examiner) as well as she has been interviewed on Global Edmonton and Breakfast Television Edmonton. Her topics of discussion are Women and Epilepsy-Sex and Seizures-Depression-Side effects of R-Her surgery-Books published. In Canada alone, an average of 42 people a day learn that they have Epilepsy and over 50 million people worldwide suffer from the disorder. I can say that I Beat Epilepsy. It was 6:30 AM on December 03, 2002. I remember being wheeled down the hall at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada by the porter with the silence it felt like we were the only ones in the building. You could hear a pin drop. I had lived with epilepsy for almost 20 years of my life and that was about to change. Left selective Amygdalohippocampectomy is the surgery I was about to undergo and it is what cured me of my seizures. The left parahippocampalgyrus, left amygdale and left hippocampus were removed; structures within the left temporal lobe. I had 6 seizures 2 days before the surgery and I have not had one since. Since my surgery, I have accomplished some amazing tasks in my life. I have written two books, was asked to be a Canadian Advocate for Epilepsy in 2012 and have been a motivational speaker for over 8 years. Helping others is my passion, is my calling. I want to educate others internationally from a patient’s point of view, help them understand that they are not alone when it comes to living with epilepsy.