In April, Trudy Kerr ran the London Marathon in a bid to help stamp out the stigma from epilepsy – and since then, her own seizures have mysteriously stopped.
“It’s an incredible by-product of my journey of accepting epilepsy and living a full life while always being mindful of its presence,” the 40-year-old, who had developed epilepsy nearly five years ago, says.
“I have no idea why but I have been seizure-free for the past seven months. I’d totally accept if they return – but if they stay away, that would be even better.
“There have been additional changes to my brain too, such as dreaming for the first time since developing epilepsy. It’s all very exciting.”
Ms Kerr is gearing up to once again run the London Marathon and the Malta Marathon on behalf of the UK’s Epilepsy Society and the Caritas Malta Epilepsy Association.
I’d totally accept if they return – but if they stay away, that would be even better
In March, Ms Kerr went public about living with epilepsy, sharing her story with Times of Malta. Following the article, she was shopping at a supermarket when she was approached by a woman who, with tears streaming down her face, revealed that she also suffered from epilepsy and had been unable to talk about it with anyone for 20 years.
“After the article appeared in the paper, I was approached by some 20 people, who told me in hushed tones that they suffered from epilepsy as well.
“They just wanted to talk about it, but they had been unable to speak of the condition with others. Epilepsy is just not talked about – it carries with it so much shame.
“The stigma can only be stamped out through understanding, knowledge and awareness – which is why I’m running the Malta Marathon and the London Marathon once again.”
Ms Kerr, who has been living in Malta for the past eight years, first developed epilepsy following a horse riding accident which left her with two brain haemorrhages and a ruptured spleen.
After numerous CAT scans, MRIs and tests, she was diagnosed with simple partial seizures – a diagnosis which left her stunned and initially unable to open up to any-one about it.
“Epilepsy in itself is complicated and misunderstood. The most severe form involves shaking on the floor and foaming at the mouth. But there are over 40 different types of seizures and they affect different people in different ways.”
Ms Kerr’s epilepsy manifested itself as strange sensations in her head, similar to electric vibrations, memory problems, hallucinatory unpleasant smells and bouts of déjà vu.
During the period following her diagnosis, Ms Kerr would get seizures once a month, where she would suffer up to 60 seizures over a period of 48 hours.
“I investigated, researched and looked into the issue, dealing with a long journey of acceptance of the condition.
“As time progressed, it became apparent just how many people suffer from the condition and how far reaching this is.”
Since going public, Ms Kerr was surprised to discover how, at least in Malta, epilepsy seemed to be strongly associated with mental health problems.
“A lady from the local fruit stall revealed to me that her son developed epilepsy following a car crash. But the condition is very much misunderstood.
“Most family members understand that it’s something to do with the brain so they automatically make the jump to mental health problems. They’re separate conditions.”
Next week, Ms Kerr will kick off her training campaign. She hopes to raise €5,000 for the NGOs.
To donate, search for “Trudy Runs London” on Facebook.