‘‘Just an Ordinary Day’’

One call. One call is all it takes to change your whole life. It was an ordinary day, or so I thought. I was setting up my 10th birthday party at my grandparents cottage. It was a bright and warm afternoon. The birds were chirping right above the rushing creek. Then it came, the sound of my mom’s phone ringing through the cottage doors. She came bursting out. I knew it couldn’t be good. They said they would call between 2-4 days. Why are they calling a few hours later? 

The rush and thoughts rolling around in my mind as we pull up. As the elevator is rising level by level. They open it and read in big letters “Children’s Hospital Level” and now I can feel even more nerves spiking throughout my body. As we wait for what feels like hours or even days, I hear “Anna” call from a nurse in green speckled clothes. I can see the fear in my parents faces as we take the turn down the beige colored hallways. 

The more time I wait in the room for the doctor the longer my mind wanders to the worst case scenario. Three little knocks and a turn of the knob from hearing the scariest news. My parents talk awhile with the doctor, not much that I understand though. All I hear is certain words that weren’t all full of doctor terms. Medication. 2 years. Tests. What is wrong with me? Did I do something wrong? Why are they not telling me anything? “What is going…”

“Anna… Anna… Anna” they all repeated for I guess was a few minutes. Did I do it again? Did I go blank? Why are they calling my name, I don’t remember the last few minutes. What is wrong with me? 

“Anna, you have a type of disorder that causes you to blank out. It is called epilepsy and the blanks you have during the day and night are seizures and those are happening a lot more than we would like so you are gonna have to take meds 2 times a day.” WHAT? I have to take meds 2 times a day and go to doctor appointments once every month? This can’t be good. I could see the tears on my mom’s face and the fear in my dad's eyes. “Did I do something, am I the reason I’m messed up?” as I feel it's all my fault. 

“Oh no sweetie this is nothing you could’ve done to stop or make it. Now depending on the type of epilepsy is based on what we can do to treat it. There are Absence seizures and those are when you either blank out and have a few seconds where you stare into space or rapid blinking. The other type is Tonic-clonic seizures and those are usually with more movement like you could fall to the floor or have muscle jerks and spasms, along with losing consciousness. Now you have the easier treatable one Absence seizures but also the one less likely to know when it's happening.” she had stated this all with ease but I was still stuck on the fact that I had epilepsy. 

“Is it treatable as in she can get cured from it and not have to take meds anymore?” asked dad with a tone of panic. 

“Now you can’t cure it, she will always have it. Since we found it in her young, she is able to take meds so that she eventually outgrows the seizures and it could very much depend on the patient as well. She could outgrow it in 10 years or she could be done by the end of these two years and not have to take anymore medication.” she patiently replied along with the thousands of other questions from my parents. 

“Will we know when she has outgrown the seizures?” asked my dad with a wrinkled expression. 

“Yes we will after she takes her meds for two years then she will have a appointment very similar to the last but she will have to stay at the hospital for 24 hours since they normally aren’t as visible” 

  HOLD UP, I already hate the doctors as it is with all the appointments I have had for my migraines and now I have to stay here for a whole day in the summer. NOT IN A MILLION YEARS… I am not going to spend my entire day up in a room with wires coming out of my body left and right. “NOOOOOOOO WAY” I snapped.

My dad snapped quicker than I could’ve finished talking “Anna Grace, she has been so nice. No need to snap at her.” 

You could see all the looks toward me as my eyes filled up with salty tears wanting to just burst through the door and never come back but I didn’t and the doctor eventually calmed me down and told me it wouldn’t be all that bad. After the long talks between my parents and the doctor, I realized I still had my birthday party and today wasn’t going to be all crap even if I just got tossed some pretty bad news. 

After being diagnosed with epilepsy life was rough for a bit trying to adjust to the new ways; like taking medication everyday and constant appointments with the doctors. After a while though, I became adjusted to my new schedule until it hit 2 years and then I had my big 24 hour appointment. This would adjust yet again how my life would be and hopefully for the better. Ring… Ring… Is that them calling for my results, oh I hope it's good news. As my mom gets off the call, I see a glimmer of hope in her eyes and now a beaming smile starting from each side of her ears. “You didn’t have any seizures, you are good to stop all your medication and doctor appointments aren’t needed either” my mom beamed with joy saying this. And just like that your life can change again by just one call.