Rebecca Groves, 17, Surrey
Monday, May 16, 2011
I don't remember the day I woke up from my coma. I was 12 and I'd been suffering from a sore throat, but it turned out I had a life-threatening virus that caused swelling to my brain.
I was in a coma for five weeks, and the doctors decided to switch off my life support, saying that I was brain dead. Then I woke up.
With the support of my family I have come so far, overcoming many challenges caused by the epilepsy I now have as a result of my illness. After I woke up, I had to learn to walk, talk and even feed myself again.
In 2009, I enrolled at St Piers School at the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE) in Surrey. The help from the NCYPE, and having my family around me, has enabled me to get on with my life and become even more confident. I will never let my epilepsy hold me back.
