My whole world changed the day I received news I had a health condition called epilepsy. I was responsible for things I had never even known existed such as medications and neurologist appointments. People kept telling me “I’m so proud of you, you are so strong.” But the only thing I could comprehend was that I was different from all my friends and family and I felt alone. Trapped inside a body that I believed was not mine. Alone in a world I could not escape. I was alone. Until my mom sat down with me and explained everything to me. She explained to me that I was just like many people in the world in fact there are over 60 million people with epilepsy. I started to feel better as she explained that people in my family did in fact have epilepsy. I was not longer experiencing the feeling that I was the “ugly duckling” I just had something different about me that made me, me. I started to research more about the health condition I had. I learned that epilepsy can be triggered by many things, over 60 million people in the world have it, and there are many kids around me that have seizures. I started to feel better about my condition after reading that because there were people like me who had the same condition. It was the end of fifth grade and I was going into the middle school. New people, more people, people who did not have epilepsy. I started to second guess myself because people started to notice I was different than they were. I blinked more, had a speech impediment, and had teachers looking at me like a hawk about to pounce on prey. I knew most of them were just scared but I began feeling like an outside. I was not invited to sleepovers in fear I would have a seizure. I began putting my extra time to better use. I no longer wanted to feel different, I wanted to spread awareness. I asked three of my best friends if they could explain epilepsy to me and they all looked at me blankly. That is when I had the idea. I was going to spread awareness about the condition epilepsy. By creating awareness bracelets and selling them to family, friends at school, and even strangers I raised over $150 for the Epilepsy Foundation. I started a facebook page with my mom called “Epilepsy Awareness” and every week I would post information about different types of epilepsy. My facebook page reached over 100 followers in less than a year! And people who followed my page were from all over. The kids in my school started to respect me and knew I was headed for big things. By the end of middle school I was voted best outlook on like and given the Diane Christy award for citizenship and community service at graduation. That summer I went to an epilepsy camp in Maine and had the time of my life. I met my new best friend and I met other kids just like me. I began selling special epilepsy awareness gift cards to a local steakhouse and they made over $600 in sales.Right now my total sales and donations under my name to the Epilepsy Foundation is just about $800. Even when I am in the hospital getting tests done I try to stay connected to my followers via facebook or by giving people brochures I have made. My aunt who has history with dealing with people with epilepsy and seizures is helping me plan a 5k to raise more money for the Epilepsy Foundation to help find new medicines and cures. I never would have thought four years ago that I would be were I was now because I was diagnosed with epilepsy. At a time I wished I had never been diagnosed but now I look back and see that I am changing peoples lives.