Lorraine Lally, a barrister, was born with epilepsy and diagnosed when she was eight. In a chat with Islammiyah on the Breakfast Show, Lorraine talked about epilepsy being a life-long medical condition which you need to be brave about and train people around you about what to do in case of seizure. I’ve always told people I have it,” says Lorraine.
An advocate for people with disabilities and migrants, Lorraine says it is important for the government to approve free travel pass for people living with epilepsy because they cannot drive for 12 months after a seizure, take their kids to school, or drive to work or even socialise, and it is the government’s way of saying we care about your condition.
Lorraine says it is important to protect the head when there is seizure. “Put the person in recovery position (lying on one’s side), use one hand to keep airways open and the other to prevent rolling backwards. It’s also useful to time the length of the seizure,” she explains.
Most seizures last for between 60-90 seconds and an ambulance should be called if a seizure lasts for more than three minutes.
She also talked about SUDEP - Sudden Death in Epilepsy, which is marked annually on October 19. She said awareness, education and a supportive work environment are keys to coping with epilepsy.
