November is Epilepsy Awareness Month:
A Personal Journey
By Patrick
November is Epilepsy Awareness month. A month that has long been celebrated by those around the world to help raise awareness for a debilitating neurological disorder. I, personally, have epilepsy. Because of that, my friends, family, and co-workers all have seen how truly debilitating this can be-how each seizure can affect the memory, attitude, body, and the overall well-being of the person during and after the episode. With that comes a lot of self doubt and stigma. But that’s something that a lot of us with epilepsy struggle with all the time.
This article is going to be a lot different than anything else I’ve written here. This is going to be a personal journey of my own battle with epilepsy, my eventual use of cannabis, and how the addition of cannabis eventually helped me get a semblance of my life back.
Epilepsy: Definition
Epilepsy [Definition]: Seizures are sudden surges of abnormal and excessive electrical activity in your brain and can affect how you appear or act. Where and how the seizure presents itself can have profound effects.
Epilepsy affects roughly 3.4 million people in the US, which is roughly 1% of the population. Internationally, the number jumps up to 50 million, which is close to 0.61% of the global population! This isn’t a disorder that is strict to one type of person, or is more prevalent in one region of the world over the other. This can affect anyone, anywhere, at any time. So with the population growing and research coming out, it’s important to get this information out there while it’s in the public eye for a little bit.
Since 1969, the Epilepsy Foundation “aka” the Epilepsy Foundation of America (EFA) has been recognizing November as National Epilepsy Awareness Month. Since those formative years, the EFA has been working relentlessly to bring awareness, and de-stigmatization of epilepsy to the forefront by means of education, research and advocacy for those with the disorder and their families. They are headquartered in Landover, Maryland, and have 59 affiliates that they work with. Click here to take a look at the list of locations to see which one is located closest to you!!
The Journey Begins…
My struggles with epilepsy have been happening for close to half my life at this point. I first started noticing some odd things when I would play sports outside with my friends. If we were really in the midst of things (basketball, football, baseball, etc.), there were times I would just get really lightheaded, feel like I wasn’t all there and then I’d fall backwards and they’d have to run over to come check on me. None of us really knew anything about epilepsy at that point, so we just brushed it off. Dumb, I know. We just didn’t think about it, because we didn’t know about it. Plus, I told them I was fine. I would get dizzy, wobbly, and lose balance, but I just never thought much of it.
It wasn’t until a few accidents (4 grand mal seizures and a split open skull), after I graduated that led to me having uncontrollable myoclonic seizures for nearly two and a half years. It became so bad that I wound up not being able to work because of the toll it took on my body and mental health. There would be times I would get clusters of myoclonics so bad that I’d lose track of how many I had in the episode. I’d have multiple episodes an hour of clusters, and nothing seemed to help it. That is, until I decided to try a strain called Charlotte’s Web by Falcanna.
Charlotte’s Web and a Turning Point
Charlotte’s Web is a high-CBD strain that leans sativa and is low in THC. It is well known in the medical cannabis community to help those with seizures. It gained notoriety for the effects that it had on Charlotte Figi, a girl with a rare seizure disorder where she would experience upwards of 300 grand mal seizures a week. Charlotte, who wasn’t expected to make it past the age of eight, sadly passed away at the age of 13 back in 2020. Her life inspired the world over and helped kickstart a high CBD movement that can still be felt to this day.
After trying Charlotte’s Web in flower form, I started to notice that my myoclonic episodes had lessened! I was just watching some TV when I realized that I hadn’t had a sudden jolt sensation run through my body that makes me crank my neck and shoulders. And, until I had another one, however long later it was, it felt wonderful.
I started going crazy on research and realized if I used cannabis while staying on top of my meds, I might be able to figure out a way to help manage my myoclonics, which could then help me manage my other seizures as well. I started adding CBD into all of my bowls. I would look for different strains, and write down how they made me feel until I could find the perfect ones that helped me create my own little cocktail of relief.
Finding My Purpose in the Cannabis Industry
Once I felt confident in my knowledge of cannabis, I figured, why not apply to work within the industry and potentially help others like me? It took a while, but I can happily say I’ve been in the industry for a little over three years. In that time, I’ve been able to help numerous people find something that has helped soothe their pains from epilepsy episodes and help relax their nerves enough that they’d be a bit less shaky. While I know that overall this isn’t a miracle solution to treat this disorder, it is still there as a bit of relief and hope of better pain management to come.
It had taken me almost two years to find a job after my health got a bit too out of hand. This company and the people here took a chance on me, and I seriously can’t be any more grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given here. I appreciate my co-workers who have helped me get to work when I can’t drive, who have listened to me when I’ve needed to talk about the toll it’s left on my body and mental health. One of the most important things is that they let me be myself, and they do their best to understand that things can be different for me day to day. I’m happy that they still hold me accountable for things, but their understanding and care means more to me than most of them may even know.
Support, Community and Pushing Forward
In the little over three years that I have worked at HWY 420, I’ve had a few myoclonic clusters, and a grand mal. The grand mal happened last year and it has been a long road to come back from. Thankfully, I have a group of solid co-workers here who have had my back and even have learned about epilepsy and seizures on their own! My managers periodically check in with me to make sure that my health is okay and that I am doing alright overall. It may sound like small things to some people, but for me, they are massive.
Thank you to the store owner, Annette Atkinson, who allowed me to do this article. Annette also has her own blog posts that she does. I highly suggest checking them out here.
Final Words
Well, that’s all from me for now. Thank you for taking the time to read this. It’s a topic I’ve been extremely passionate about for a long time. I truly hope that a piece from this article will strike a chord with someone and inspire them to look into this disorder a little bit more, or even ask questions to learn how to help others.
Until then, take care of yourselves, take care of each other, smoke a bowl and enjoy life.
See ya later,
Patrick
Disclaimer – All content on HWY420.xyz is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical or legal advice.
Copyright © 2026 HWY 420.
Site byCannaPlanners
