Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Epilepsy and the Olympics


With the 2012 Summer Olympics only a few days away, I wanted to see how many athletes that have been in the Olympics have epilepsy.
Of course you start online and Google gives you names starting back to ancient Greece.  I finally see people who play in the NFL or the Major League.  Then the gold, silver, and bronze medalist.  Think of how many minutes, hours, days, etc. it took for them to get where they are.  Walking around the track opening night waving their flag full of pride representing their country.  All the work they did isn't going through their mind right now. 
The names you read in the next few paragraphs will help you walk proud with them now that you know that they were able to overcome all of the pitfalls that epilepsy brings.  There are some great stories with happy endings and one that will break your heart.  One you will read and cannot believe that this happened here in the USA, if you think like me.
The first I have to mention is Florence Griffith-Joyner, or "Flo Jo" if you were around then to remember her nickname.  You might also remember her long fingernails.  She ran the 100m and the 200m dash.  Holds the record for both and won the gold medal.  She had seizures due to a Cavernous Hemangioma, which is a congenital brain abnormality.  She had a history of Tonic-Clonic Seizures and died by suffocation in her sleep due to a seizure.  Al Joyner was her husband, who was also in the Olympics, and her daughter Mary Ruth was on America's Got Talent this year and made it to Las Vegas.
Chandra Gunn had her first seizure when she nine years old.  She would see her mother cry about her epilepsy then she would tell her mother that she would be good.  After a while she began to see that it was not her fault but an important part of her life.  After high school she went to the University of Wisconsin.  There her seizures started to get uncontrollable.  They decided the problem was where they had not changed the dosage of her medication anytime that she had been taking it.  During her sophomore year, Chandra knew she was ready for hockey but her coach didn't think she was.  She hadn't told anyone about her epilepsy previously.  This taught her to be more open and upfront so that people can become more aware of epilepsy.  The USA hockey team won the bronze medal in the 2006 Olympic Games.  Chandra played goalie position.  She has won multiple awards and is the spokesperson for the Epilepsy Therapy Project saying that she wants people to live their lives to the fullest.
Dai Greene played football (soccer for us since he's British) when he was a teenager.  He had to quit playing soccer in his late teens due to a growing spurt that causes knee pain.  It is called Osgood Schlatter Disease.  He now runs the 400m hurdler for Welsh and Great Britain.  Dai had his first seizure at seventeen.  He doesn't take any medication; instead he doesn't drink any alcohol and makes sure he gets the right amount of sleep needed.  Several medals have been won and he will be Captain for the Great British Athletics Team.
Marion Clignet was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was twenty-two years old. She enjoys riding her bike.  After getting her license taken away riding a bike was her way of transportation.   Now competing as a track cyclist.  She was born in the US, but her parents are French.  When the US Olympic team felt that she was a risk due to her epilepsy, she joined the French National Cyclist Team.  With them she has two silver medals.  Her epilepsy did not get the best of her.  Every year she has a bike ride to raise awareness for epilepsy.
Maggie McEleny is also known as "Mad Maggie".  She is paraplegic and also has epilepsy due to a head injury when she was eleven years old.  Maggie has competed in four Paralympics.  Throughout those four she has won three gold medals, 5 silver medals, and seven bronze medals.
Paul Wade played football (soccer) for Australia in the 1988 summer Olympics.  He received player of the year in 1988 from Australia.  A supporter of disabled sports.  Due to his epilepsy, he helps by attending functions to support epilepsy awareness. 
After reading about the athletes that have overcome their epilepsy to compete in games with other athletes from around the world, let's stop and say what WILL I overcome today. 
My name is Roxanne Davenport and I have epilepsy.  I'm not an Olympic athlete.   I am an advocate for Epilepsy Awareness.