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Newly Diagnosed and Trying to Process
Epilepsy & Seizures | Last Active: Nov 14, 2017 | Replies (31)Comment receiving replies
Hi @micakath, I wanted to check in with you and see how you are doing. Amanda, Robert and Bonnie shared some useful stories about advocating in the workplace and stamping out the stigma of the diagnosis of epilepsy. You mentioned that you live and work overseas. Do you think the stigma is strong in the country where you work? How have you chosen to approach the issue with your employer and with the parents?
Replies to "Hi @micakath, I wanted to check in with you and see how you are doing. Amanda,..."
So good to hear from you Mica. What a relief that your colleagues and employer were open-minded. I'm not surprised that opening up to a few students has benefited your relationships in your work community. Good for you for having the courage to be honest.
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Thank you so much for following up, Colleen. Thankfully, after having several conversations with my colleagues and admin, things are seemingly in a good place. I've even been able to open up about it to a few of my older students who are having health issues of their own, so it's been able to bring me closer to my work community in some ways.
I live in Ukraine, where there is maybe a bit of a stigma, but for the most part, the host country nationals that I live and work with have been very supportive. The only difficulty now about living here is that the care is extremely limited, so I'm struggling to really move forward with anything.