A legal assistant from Barrowford wants to raise awareness of the condition that has changed her life during National Epilepsy Awareness Month.

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Amelia Ripley, 28, who works for James Hall & Co. Ltd in Preston, suffered an epileptic seizure while at her desk in June.

As quick-thinking colleagues in the properties department rushed to her aid to put her in the recovery position and the company’s medical team stabilised her while the paramedics arrived, nobody knew at that point what the issue was and the impact it would have on Amelia’s life going forward.

Amelia has since undergone scans and neurological tests and was diagnosed as having epilepsy in September. She had not previously experienced a seizure, has no history of epilepsy in her family, and she did not know the signs and symptoms of the condition.

Now adapting to life on medication and beginning a phased return to work, Amelia is partaking in Epilepsy Action’s challenge to Jog 60 Miles in November, determined to raise awareness of the condition that has profoundly affected her future.

Amelia said: “Epilepsy is a common condition that affects around 1 in 100 people in the UK and can develop at any time in your life.

“Yet from my experience, there seems to be a chronic lack of understanding of it and how it develops due to severe underfunding for research into it. I knew very little about it and what I did know was that I associated it with diagnosis during childhood. The diagnosis has completely changed my life. I am still in shock and processing it, and it is still quite raw with me. I am unable to drive until at least 12 months after my last seizure, and I now find I am sensitive to light and wear pink tinted lenses in my glasses to help.

“I am on medication, and I am adjusting to this new life, along with the side effects. I have tremors now, so I must be extra careful while using a kettle to make a brew for example. It is not guaranteed the medication will address the problem of having seizures. It is a bit like a game of chess whether it works for you. Previously I lived life to the full, with an active social life both on weekday evenings and at weekends, but that is unfortunately not possible now as I am regularly exhausted.

“I am learning to be better at planning my day, and managing my stress, the amount of sleep I get, my diet, water intake, and my alcohol consumption, all while trying to maintain exercise when I can. I am also choosier attending events where there will be big crowds.

“The hardest thing has been finding the new me. But I have had an epiphany moment where I wanted to do something good. That is why I am absolutely committed to doing the 60 Miles in November for Epilepsy Action as I feel like I need to raise awareness of epilepsy.”