I was diagnosed with Epilepsy when I was approximately 2 years old. I was told it was caused by a high fever. I had seizures as a child that were about a month or so apart. Many were Grand Mal seizures with convulsions. I have been on a prescription of Dilantin and Phenobarbital as long as I can remember. I grew up wanting to be a truck driver like my dad. I did get my Wisconsin’s Chauffeur’s License at age nineteen after I had been seizure free for two years but was restricted to intrastate commerce only in Wisconsin where I lived. In 2014 at the age of 57, I sought help at the federal level to try and get a interstate commerce exemption so that I could drive a commercial motor vehicle across state lines. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson’s Office told me about a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Pilot Program for drivers with a history of well controlled seizures. I applied for the exemption and was granted my first of three 2 year medical waivers and am in the process of applying for number four. After my first waiver, I went from driving only in Wisconsin to driving in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as my job required. I switched companies 2 years ago and now drive from Wisconsin to 11 western states. I am required to have a yearly drivers physical instead of 2 years and I have to reapply for the waiver every 2 years, at least for now. I still am taking my prescription meds daily. I have been seizure free for over 40 years. I feel fortunate and wish all others that suffer from epilepsy that they find a way to eventually get it under control.

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