PUBLISHED IN THE HUFFINGTON POST
I had my first seizure—a grand mal—when I was five years old. When my parents found me, my lips were blue, my eyes were rolled back, and my entire body was shaking. I was diagnosed with encephalitis. The virus had traveled to my brain, causing me to go into a four-day coma. The doctors thought that when I came out of the coma I would probably have some degree of brain damage.
My parents sat by my bedside and prayed. On the fourth day, my father looked up to find my eyes wide open. The first thing out of my mouth was “Can I have McDonald's fries?” I sustained no brain damage, but the encephalitis left scar tissue in my brain, resulting...