Epilepsy Group: Successful "monthly platica" in January and possibility of weekly workshops

Hi everyone,

Here is an update for Grupo de Autoayuda Epilepsia Puebla.

1.) Presentation in two hospitals
Last week, I presented in two different hospitals in front of crowds of doctors. Honestly, that made me really nervous, but I was able to explain a little bit about the group and how these neurologists could get involved. There was a good response afterward, and a few doctors asked for brochures in order to make copies and distribute them to their patients.

2.) Met with another university, UPAEP
On Friday, I met with the directors of a department in the university known as UPAEP. They wanted to know what I'm doing here in Mexico, and after about 15 minutes, they both had their eyes wide open while listening to me. But I think the best part was when they told me that they had expected me to be about 50 years old. haha

They are going to organize presentations in classes within different departments, as well as a conference while I am still here.

3.)  Successful Monthly Meeting
On Saturday, we had our first monthly "platica" (meeting) of 2014 in Hospital Betania. I presented on "What is Epilepsy" from a patient's perspective and spoke about my experience. Usually we have about 15 attendees, but that day we had almost 30! That was very inspiring! I then spoke with a girl who came to the meeting all the way from Mexico City, which is a 2 hour drive. She wants to know how she can help and organize presentations in the state of Oaxaca.

4.) Possible weekly workshops in Cholula
On Monday, I met with someone from another university, UDLAP, in Cholula, which is a suburb of Puebla. She brought up the idea of having weekly workshops in downtown Cholula. We will have epilepsy presentations, art classes, talk about books related to epilepsy, different activities, and more. We will invite patients and families to come. It will be a way for people to get involved and meet others who have epilepsy.

5.) Tonight (Tuesday) I will be speaking on a radio show, where I will talk about epilepsy and our group.


Thank you everyone for your support! I hope you all have a great week!

Epilepsy Groups in Puebla, Tres Valles (Veracruz), Yucatan and possibly Nicaragua!

Hi everyone,

These past two weeks have been very busy and very exciting. Last week, I had 11 meetings with different people who want to help with the group and have new ideas. Then on Saturday, I presented in another school on Epilepsy and Psychology and then we had an event in downtown Puebla. We were passing out brochures regarding the schedule of the monthly conferences for 2014 and the topics we will present on. I will be presenting on January 25th regarding: "What is Epilepsy? A patient's perspective with life experience".

This week, I met with a woman who is going to put me in contact with 25 different people who can possibly set us up to present in different places. This woman is very good at networking and wants me to train her in giving presentations so we can continue this program when I am no longer in Mexico.

Also this week, I was contacted by the Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group, which is located in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. They are very interested in what I've been doing down here and asked me to write a blog/article in Spanish. They have a Facebook page that centers on Latin America and has 22,000 members and they wrote about us in their group.

Our group (Grupo de Autoayuda Epilepsia) now has three groups, Puebla, Tres Valles (Veracruz), and the Yucatan. We have a logo for our group, three different Facebook pages, and we all act as a team.

Below is a copy of the blog article that I sent to the Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group. Thank you everyone for your encouragement and support!

The first time someone is diagnosed with epilepsy, it very common to ask oneself, “why me? Why do I have to go through this? Why can’t I simply be normal?” It’s interesting to ponder on the moments when we find ourselves asking these questions. Most of the time, these questions come up from fear that other people won’t understand. But, it is important to remember that there is a reason every person is different, and therefore, we can use our differences to learn and teach other people.

            Throughout my life, I have always looked at epilepsy as an adventure; as the factor that simply makes me special. I have had different types of seizures throughout my life which have caused memory loss and have resulted in brain surgery. But through all those experiences, I have received so much support and have learned that there are ways in which we can support each other.

            In March 2013, I came to Puebla, Mexico with the intention of staying for two months in order to embrace the culture and improve my Spanish capabilities. By May, I had met various wonderful people and decided to stay for a longer period of time. However, if I was going to stay for the summer, that meant that I wasn't going to be able to attend an epilepsy event that was going to take place in various cities within the United States that summer. That’s when I thought to myself, “Why can’t we create something like that here in Puebla? That was the beginning of Grupo de Autoayuda Epilepsia Puebla.

            On June 15^th of that year, our group had our first monthly conference focusing on what epilepsy is and how to help someone who is having seizures. Afterward, we went to a park where we distributed 200 brochures about the group. At the end of the day, a woman came to our table asking about our group. When I began to explain, I saw that she had tears in her eyes. She told me that her son had been diagnosed with epilepsy a long time ago and they had never met anyone else with this condition. She hugged me and asked how she could help with the group.

            Since that time, the group has had three events, eight monthly meetings of different themes related to epilepsy, one conference, and we have given around forty presentations in different schools and businesses. We have also been able to create two more groups in Tres Valles, Veracruz and the state of Yucatán. It is also possible that we may create a group in Nicaragua. We are always looking for more opportunities to help others. The intention of this group is to let people with epilepsy know that they are not alone. This medical condition can occur at any time in one’s life and therefore, it is always helpful to learn more. Although we are in the beginning of forming these groups, we already have a lot people on our team and are looking forward to the positive impacts that will be taking place in the future for those with epilepsy. 

Christmas, New Years and new epilepsy group in Veracruz, Mexico

Hi everyone,

I hope everybody had a WONDERFUL Christmas and New Year. I definitely have!

1.) Christmas

For the holidays, I went to the state of Veracruz and traveled to the town of Tres Valles where I stayed with my friend Mauro and his family. I met some truly amazing people and learned a lot of new cultural traditions. For instance, here in Mexico, most people celebrate Christmas on the night of Christmas Eve. That night I was with Mauro's immediate family, as well as their relatives. There were about 30 people in the house that night eating, drinking, and dancing! It was a lot of fun!

Then at midnight, everyone went outside where there was a manger for the baby Jesus. The kids in the family then took the doll that portrayed Jesus and began rocking him in a blanket before putting him in the manger. Everyone began singing these traditional songs that go along with that custom. Although I've been Catholic my entire life, I've never been introduced to this tradition and it was really inspiring.

Everyone kept partying until about 2:00 in the morning and then eventually the night ended. On Christmas morning, people woke up and said Feliz Navidad, but it was pretty calm and casual. Then that night, I went to church with Mauro and his friend to finish our Christmas day.

2.) New Year's Eve

The week between Christmas and New Year's, Mauro and I decided to go to the city of Veracruz for a few days. We walked along the beach, met up with his family, and then went to a very entertaining cantina/bar one night.

Then on New Year's Eve, Mauro and I took the bus to the town of Cosamaloapan to celebrate with the rest of his family. That day, I learned more new traditions, such as "El Viejo". "El Viejo" is a scarecrow that families create for New Year's Eve. Our particular viejo was entertaining because he was holding an enormous bottle of tequila. Then at midnight, everyone sets their viejo on fire in order to start the new year. haha Definitely a new experience. In between all of that, there was more food, drinking, and dancing. I'm getting used to the style of Mexican fiestas!

3.) Grupo de Autoayuda Epilepsia Tres Valles; Ver.

Something I am extremely excited about is that we have now created a second epilepsy support group in Mexico and it happens to be in the town of Tres Valles, Veracruz where Mauro's family lives. When I went there in August, we had a small meeting with some people who have epilepsy, and since then I have continued to talk to one of the guys named Jair. He is 27 years old and also has epilepsy. These past few weeks, I have met up with him numerous times and we decided to create a support group there in Tres Valles, but both of our groups will be connected. He and I are now "business partners".

We have created two pages on Facebook for our groups called: Grupo de Autoayuda Epilepsia Puebla and Grupo de Autoayuda Epilepsia Tres Valles; Ver.  We are organizing some presentations in Tres Valles and have contacted someone from the radio station there. I will most likely return to Veracruz in February or March to help Jair get started with the presentations.


I am so excited for everything. We have only been in the year of 2014 for five days, but so far I am loving it! This coming week will be very busy for me. I have a lot of meetings and we have an event in downtown Puebla next Saturday.

Thank you everyone for all of your support!!!!