Gerald, 35, USA

I’m a 35 years-old man who was diagnosed 22 years ago. I had my first seizure that lasted 45 minutes when I was 3. I was first prescribed Depakote, which ruined my short term memory. I've been prescribed every medicine out there that did nothing but bad things to me and my life, with bad psychiatric side effects that put me in mental hospitals 3-4 times in my life growing up.

Ten years ago I refused to take any meds from side effects. Then one day I learned about the brain surgery for epilepsy, so I called the doctor that was on the news the night before and made an appointment. From there I had so many tests done to find out if I was even eligible for the surgery.

Few months after testing I found that I was eligible for the brain surgery, which removed my entire left temporal lobe and part of my right hippocampus. I was reborn waking up after surgery on 6/22/05.

I had a few seizure-free years, but I’m having them again. Not as many though, but worse when they happen. I get this aura of the Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Freebird" every time. What’s weird about that is that I start hearing the tunes, but I swear I'm being spoken to with the words that I hear; that aren't the lyrics – I’m being spoken to personally.

I truly feel that what I’m being told the same time every time it happens, that I will have all the answers to all of my life’s questions that have been gloating in my cranium for 22 years.

- September 14th, 2015

Contact info:

Twitter: @CurlyMahn