Hey, BTN, I'm Archer and I'm 10.
I love playing basketball,
watching Star Wars,
and hanging out with my guinea pig, Stanley.
When I first named Stanley, I later on figured out that she was a girl.
But I still call her Stanley anyway.
These are my brothers, Lachlan and Jett.
Jett is a year older than me, and Lachlan is my twin.
While I always have someone to talk to or play with,
they can be annoying sometimes.
And we have a winner!
I'm a normal kid, but I have this thing called epilepsy.
It makes life a lot harder.
Epilepsy means I have a lot of seizures.
They happen when electrical signals in my brain get mixed up,
so for a little while, my brain's communication system breaks down.
When I have a seizure it's really uncomfortable,
and I start drooling and I fall to the ground,
and I lose consciousness.
It's unenjoyable and I don't like it.
There are lots of different types of epilepsy,
but the kind I have means my seizures can't be controlled.
Epilepsy is something I've been dealing with most of my life.
I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was four.
I've spent a lot of time in hospital
and been hooked up to machines like this,
which look at the electrical activity in my brain.
I also have to take medication.
It's meant to control my seizures,
but it doesn't even work like it's supposed to
and can have really bad side effects.
I can get drowsy, my legs can get really stiff,
I get tired easily, sometimes I forget things or I fall over.
I also have an ice vest like you see footy players wear.
I wear it to keep me cool, because when I'm tired and hot,
I'm more likely to have seizures.
I'm in Year 5 at school.
My classmates and teachers are great,
but I still think I'm treated differently,
because people are always worrying about me,
even though I don't want them to.
When I'm at home, I've got my parents and my brothers,
who I know are looking out for me.
I keep a good eye on him
and sometimes if he has even just the slightest twitch,
I'll make sure Mum's nearby just to make sure he's OK.
And if I'm feeling stressed and need a break,
I've got Stanley to help calm me down.
I can get tired and a bit paranoid
and sometimes it's hard to sleep.
Some days, I have a lot of seizures and can't go to school.
When they're really bad, I have to go to hospital.
Epilepsy affects around a quarter of a million Australians.
It's a disability, but in South Australia, where I live,
the state government doesn't recognise it as one,
and epilepsy services don't get any funding here.
That's why I've been campaigning for the government
to support The Epilepsy Centre.
The Epilepsy Centre is an organisation that helps kids
and families just like mine.
I've also been trying to promote Purple Day,
it's held on 26 March.
It's about making people around the world
understand more about epilepsy.
And this year, my school will be wearing purple and raising money.
Living with epilepsy ain't easy,
but I want you to know I'm a normal person just like you.