Do you know anything about the disease “Epilepsy”? Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of physical and mental functions. Seizures can last for a few seconds to a few minutes; some symptoms of having a seizure are blank staring, lip smacking, or jerking movements of arms and legs. Now that you have some background information about epilepsy or seizures, my twin sister Kim has it and was diagnosed when she was 2. The experience I will tell you about was upsetting and is unforgettable.

It was around Christmas time about 6 years ago. We were at my grandmother’s house with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Everyone was celebrating the wonderful, loving holiday. We were all opening presents when suddenly I look at my sister and her arms and legs are producing a jerking movement. Everyone wasn’t paying attention to her but for some reason I suddenly looked at her. I frantically run over and gently touch her face and say, “Kim, Kim?” There was no answer. My parents bolt over to her as the whole room becomes so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. She finally after a few minutes comes out of her seizure.

Everyone stays silent while my mom tries to calm her down and gives her a glass of water. She looks confused. She doesn't understand why everyone is so silent. All of the sudden, she goes right back into another seizure, comes out, and then goes right back into one. She does this repeatedly. My mom decides she needs to call Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). They tell her to bring her there immediately. My parents say goodbye to everyone and they tell me and my brother that we are going to be staying at my aunt and uncle’s house until our sister feels better. We ended up staying at my grandmother’s house for another hour. We are at my aunts for like 2 more hours and before we go to bed my mom calls us, and she wants to talk to me. My mom tells me how as soon as she got there she was taken from my parents and they gave her all types of medicine. Later I found out that she was in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) which is treatment areas reserved for patients who have critical, life-threatening conditions.

Days feel like years when you’re worried about someone and you can’t see or talk to them. It was now day 7 and my sister was still in the hospital. She still was having severe seizures. My aunt informs me that my grandparents are going to be picking us up tomorrow to go visit my sister. The morning comes and they pick us up. We arrive at the hospital and walk in the room and my sister smiles. She was so happy to see us. I walk up and ask her if she feels better. She lifts her arm and starts to cry, “I got needles. Why you leave me tel (how she says kel)?” I smile. I never thought I’d admit it but for once I realized how much I would miss her if she wasn't in my life. We left the hospital that day with my grandparents, and I really didn't know how much longer I could take not being with my family. I just wanted my sister to feel better. Finally, after 3 days she gets out of the hospital and everything was mostly back to normal other than how much medicine was added that she had to take.

In conclusion, my sister showed bravery and courage during the whole thing and I was proud of her. Plus, she was only 7 years old. My sister still has seizures but not as severe. Last year, she was almost seizure free, but sadly, she had a seizure and she still is having them today. This was an unforgettable and inspirational experience.