About Me

I was born on the 12th July 1968. At a year old I caught a throat infection from my father. I became extremely hot [had a temperature of 104F+] and had to be put on ice. Shortly after this I began to suffer epileptic seizures and was put on Phenobarbitone which is one of about 30-40 different drugs used for Epilepsy. After a while I was taken off it because it caused me to have unexpected mood changes. At around the age of four, I was put on Epilim. This was the very beginning of a very unexpected twenty years ahead.

My mother had became concerned about a slowing down of my development and took me to doctors and our local hospital ...all of whom said there was nothing to worry about. She disagreed and took me to Alder Hey children's hospital.

I began to attend a Special School for serverely handicapped children. My progress was slow and I wouldn't co-operate until my mother offered me a giant packet of sweets if I would take a test ... I passed with flying colours.

The staff wer surprised at my results and indicated that perhaps I should not be in a school of that kind at all. Shortly after this (when I was seven) my parents got divorced and my mother and my brothers and I moved to Chester. A few years later my mother married David Simpson and is still married to him today.   

I went to Overleigh Middle School in Handbridge, Chester and so did my brothers. I was put into a Unit for the Educationally Subnormal [now referred to as Special Needs], the same happened when I went to Queens Park High School as well. At the age of sixteen, I left school and went onto the Youth Training Scheme a year later. A year after that I was on the Community Task Force doing household gardening.  

When I was twentyone (after two years of looking for work) I got a job in a Chicken Factory near Deeside. I was there until I was twentynine and it was extremely difficult. I was mentally slow and was bullied and mocked a lot! Nothing was ever done about it by anyone. If anything, some abstained from it all while others just joined-in with mockers because it seemed to make them feel secure as well as give themselves entertainment in a boring job. What they mainly wanted was for bullies attentions to go onto someone else and not themselves.  

Some of those who didn't pick on me told me to 'smile' and 'look happy'. This was a sad and difficult time for me.

But things began to change in the mid-nineties and this is how it all happened:

I was extremely insecure and slow with hardly any facial expression at all while these others just ignored, picked on and criticised me most of the time. However, I always wanted to be accepted and just never was. To them, I was different and dumb. Although I thought and spoke slowly, I read papers like The Times, The Independent and others.

One day, David, my step-father, showed me an article about Brain Surgery for Epilepsy in The Independent. I had never even heard of it before, even from doctors or anyone else!

So, in an extremely deep and emotional way, I took the article to show my G.P.

The fact was that, apart from increasing my medication, the prescription had never reviewed. I felt like an extremely desperate street begger (emotionally)and begged the doctor to send me to London to see this 'Expert' to give me this 'Brand New Cure'. He saw how I was feeling and decided to write to epilepsy centres in Liverpool and Manchester. I was very angry that it wasn't London, but I held back. I just simply thought, 'Why on earth would lots of areas/experts be able to do a totally new thing like this'.

Some time later the Walton Centre in Liverpool sent me an appointment. They began to investigate to see whether I was an appropriate candidate for surgery. As part of this they began to adjust and change my medication.

So, three months later (this was 1995), I started going to The Walton Centre in Liverpool every single week for three months.

I felt so bad at first that my attitude and thoughts were, 'Right, so you're experts then. Well, well, well, we'll see about that then.

If this first change of medication doesn't work at all, then I'll kill myself because I just can't stand this sad and pathetic life any longer.' I just followed their instructions and kept quiet despite not expecting much change out of it all. However I did make progress. I was still having a seizures most weeks, but slowly, but surely, progress with the brain and mind was improving. The doctors at the Walton Centre had taken me off epilim and slowly but surely I began to feel more confident. I was thinking faster and generally became more alert and involved. I began to go to night school, initially studying maths and english and then many other subjects including English Literature and Sociology.  

In 1997, when I was on the receiving end of yet another a verbal insult while at work, I told the perpetrator what I thought of them. Everyone was extremely quiet when they heard about it. The only responses were a couple of gazing faces. However, the next day, during a break someone said, "I don't blame you at all for what you said there. It's disgusting how they have been treating you."s an' English.  

I then gave my notice in and went to college full time. Two years later, the whole story was all over the country in the media in about five different regions. This was in September and October of 1999. Professor David Chadwick from the Walton Centre was interviewed by the Daily Post, Daily Express and Channel Four News about, because it was him who dealt with the medication in the first place and he was brilliant.

I was interviewed by the Daily Post, Daily Express and Channel Four too. Sky News, The BBC and Granada were the others. GMTV was the first of all. I was also on 'Up Front With Lorraine Kelly' on Sky and also on 'Breakfast With Frost'.

About fifteen radio stations did their bit too, but the main one was Radio Four 'Home Truths' and Radio One.

The Walton Centre finally decided that I was a suitable candidate for the operation. It was big and risky undertaking ...they actually removed a part of my brain AND THE SEIZURES STOPPED!

. ANDthe le

So, there are two main sides to my ordeal. The long-term medication of the past was not the right one. Those twenty years were very/extremely bad, but this operation has had an extremely good effect - so far. The early days after the operation are the main days. In fact there were no after-effects that were at all bad.

Many people contacted me and we shared information about the operation. One chap from Southern England had the operation a few months before me and then suffered about seven months of depression because of it. I suffered no ill effects.  

Depression was one of the risks as were, in the extreme, a stroke or even death. But the main surgeon told me a few months before the surgery took place that I was one of the best candidates that they ever had. The operation first took place thirty two years ago. Nowadays they say that the best age to have it is in your late twenties. It is not recommended for people who are over forty five..

Last but not least, every cloud has a 'Silver Lining' and it took me a long time to learn it. Sometimes a tiny moment can make such a gigantic difference.

I'm getting to know myself very well for the first time. I've done Assertiveness Training and also a Counselling course ...thankfully all is going very well indeed.  

For about a good six years, my relatives (and I especially) were so dumbfounded at how accurate, calm and sraitaight-forward Professor Chadwick was when he mebtioned about me being on the wrong medication right at the very beginning. It was as if it was the most easiest task in the world for him. He succeeded so well, whereas everyone else failed before him - so badly. I owe my new life to the expertese of Professor David Chadwick and the team at the Walton Centre. I can never thank them enough.

Three years ago I began part-time work at Morrison's supermarket. What pleasure I take in working with nice people in a pleasant environment! Retail work interests me [I am an avid reader of 'The Grocer' and now want to work full-time!]

As the saying goes ....watch this space!