MAN: I LOVED MY TIME IN THE MILITARY.
BEING STATIONED ON AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER WAS PHENOMENAL,
SEEING THESE AMAZING JETS LAUNCHED OFF A CATAPULT
JUST...FEET AWAY FROM ME.
IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE I WILL NEVER FORGET,
BUT MY MILITARY TIME WAS BRIEF.
JIM: WHAT I HAD WAS A BRAIN BLEED, WHICH WASN'T ACTIVE,
BUT IT WAS DECIDED THAT THE BEST THING
FOR ME TO DO WOULD BE TO HAVE SURGERY.
A FEW DAYS AFTERWARDS, ON THE EVE OF DISCHARGE,
I WENT INTO MASSIVE SEIZURES.
PARKO: EPILEPSY IS THE TENDENCY TO HAVE RECURRENT SEIZURES.
THE MAIN CAUSES OF EPILEPSY ARE STROKE
OR INFECTION OR TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.
ONE IN 26 PEOPLE WILL DEVELOP EPILEPSY IN THEIR LIFETIME.
IT'S THE FOURTH-MOST COMMON NEUROLOGIC CONDITION
IN THE UNITED STATES.
HOUSTON: THIS IS A PRETTY PROFOUND EXPERIENCE
THAT THE PATIENT UNDERGOES.
JIM: IT'S A MYRIAD OF EMOTIONS.
YOU HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS AS TO WHY THIS HAPPENED.
HOUSTON: UNDERSTANDING WHAT CREATES THE CONDITION
AND HOW TO COPE WITH IT AND HOW TO DEAL WITH IT
IN THE MIDST OF A SEIZURE CAN BE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
PARKO: EPILEPSY IS A DISORDER OF THE BRAIN
AND OFTEN INVOLVES A LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS.
THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT YOU SHOULDN'T DO,
AND THE MOST COMMON, OF COURSE, WOULD BE DRIVING,
SO MANY PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY CANNOT DRIVE.
IF YOU CANNOT DRIVE, OFTEN YOU CANNOT WORK.
JIM: WE START THINKING THEN ABOUT HOW IT'S GOING TO AFFECT
OUR LIVES, HOW IT'S GOING TO AFFECT OUR LOVED ONES,
AND IT CAN BE OVERWHELMING AND VERY STRESSFUL.
HOUSTON: ONE OF THE FIRST STEPS YOU HAVE TO TAKE IS TO COME
TO TERMS WITH THE FACT THAT YOUR HEALTH IS ALTERED,
AND IT DOESN'T MEAN
THAT IT'S THE END OF ANYTHING.
IT JUST MEANS THAT THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE.
PARKO: ABOUT 70% OF THE PEOPLE WILL HAVE
THEIR SEIZURES CONTROLLED WITH A MEDICINE.
IF YOU DON'T RESPOND TO A FIRST DRUG, ANOTHER DRUG
CAN BE TRIED AND OTHER OPTIONS CAN BE LOOKED AT,
SO TREATMENT FOR EPILEPSY IS GREAT.
JIM: SEIZURES NOW, I WOULD SAY, HAVE BEEN
CONTROLLED VERY, VERY WELL WITH THE MEDICINES I'M ON.
WITH THE WONDERFUL TEAM THAT I HAVE AT THE VA,
IT'S BROUGHT A LOT OF COMFORT TO ME IN THE SENSE THAT I KNOW
I'M BEING TAKEN CARE OF, AND WE'RE FINDING THE BEST WAYS
TO MAKE SURE I DON'T HAVE SEIZURES.
PARKO: THE EPILEPSY CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE
ARE A NATIONAL NETWORK
OF 16 DIFFERENT SITES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
RIEGER: THE MISSION OF THE EPILEPSY CENTERS
OF EXCELLENCE ARE TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF VETERANS
WITH EPILEPSY AND SEIZURES
THROUGH THE INTEGRATION OF CLINICAL CARE,
OUTREACH, EDUCATION, AND RESEARCH.
JIM: I WAS PUT IN CONTACT WITH AN EPILEPSY CENTER
OF EXCELLENCE AT THE VA,
WHICH I HAVE VIEWED AS A BLESSING.
PARKO: EPILEPSY ISN'T JUST ABOUT THE SEIZURES THEMSELVES.
EPILEPSY CAN AFFECT MANY PARTS OF A PERSON'S LIFE,
AND THESE CENTERS ARE BUILT TO TRY TO ADDRESS
ALL THOSE DIFFERENT PARTS.
RIEGER: OUR PATIENTS ARE SEEING EPILEPSY SPECIALISTS,
KNOWN AS EPILEPTOLOGISTS.
THEY'RE ALSO WORKING WITH A NURSE COORDINATOR,
QUITE COMMONLY; WE PARTNER VERY CLOSELY
WITH MENTAL HEALTH, AS WELL AS SOCIAL WORKERS,
PHARMACISTS, AND OTHER ALLIED HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS.
HOUSTON: I'M PROUD OF THE WORK THAT THE EPILEPSY CENTER
FOR EXCELLENCE DOES WITH OUR PATIENTS.
IT'S A VERY CLEAR, MULTI- DISCIPLINED AREA APPROACH.
WE STAFF EVERY VETERAN'S CASE,
AND WE TRY TO DEVELOP THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE
AND COHESIVE PLAN WE CAN FOR THE VETERANS.
JIM: THEY TOOK ME UNDER THEIR WING,
AND I'VE BEEN EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH THEM.
THIS WAS A SURVEY PROJECT THAT...
I WORKED AT THE VA HOSPITAL IN SAN FRANCISCO
IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING AS AN ARCHITECT.
I HAVE SET VERY BIG GOALS FOR MYSELF,
AND I TRY TO OVERCOME EACH OBSTACLE
THAT PRESENTS ITSELF.
PARKO: I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE NOT TO LET EPILEPSY DEFINE THEM
AND TO CERTAINLY NOT LET THE DISEASE DIRECT THEIR LIFE;
TO BE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN LIFE
AND DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO, LIVE THEIR BEST POSSIBLE LIFE.
JIM: WHAT I LIKE TO DO FOR FUN IS A LOT OF MOUNTAIN-BIKING.
FOR ME, IT'S KIND OF LIKE A THERAPY.
KEEPS ME STRONG, KEEPS ME VERY ACTIVE.
PARKO: JIM IS A GREAT EXAMPLE
OF SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT LET EPILEPSY DEFINE THEIR LIFE.
JIM: THERE'S NO REASON WHY IT SHOULD STOP US
FROM BEING ABLE TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS.
GRANTED, WE MAY NEED TO TAKE DIFFERENT STEPS
TO ACHIEVE THEM, BUT WE CAN OVERCOME
AND BE VERY SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE
AND ACHIEVE WHAT WE WANT.
NOTHING SHOULD HOLD US BACK.