Paul’s Journey
Paul Rodriguez is a 32-year-old male who started experiencing grand mal seizures at the age of 10. He sought testing and evaluation at Miami Children’s Hospital, where a pediatric neurologist determined that his seizures were likely caused by a piece of fatty tissue on the left side of his brain. Paul received medication treatment, and in 2008, he underwent brain surgery to control or eliminate his seizures. He remained seizure-free for over six years until he began experiencing absence seizures for approximately 1-2 years. Currently, he is no longer having absence seizures but is experiencing grand mal seizures every six months. Throughout this process, Paul has continued to receive care from neurologist Dr. Rodriguez at Cleveland Clinic, who has made adjustments to his medication to find the best seizure control.
Additionally, Paul was introduced to Epilepsy Alliance Florida (EAFLA) by the former Board Chair, Pat Dean. Through EAFLA, he had the opportunity to meet other individuals with epilepsy who were facing similar challenges. Over the years, Paul has participated in the annual epilepsy walks, received counseling, obtained assistance with medical insurance coverage, and most recently, joined a support group that meets monthly at Cleveland Clinic. The support group has had a significant impact on his social involvement. By connecting with people who share similar experiences, Paul has learned to accept his circumstances and realized that he can achieve anything he sets his mind to. The level of encouragement provided in these meetings is truly transformative. Paul eagerly anticipates the monthly gatherings to hear about others’ progress and how their lives have improved.
Living alone remains one of Paul’s greatest challenges. However, he plans to continue engaging with EAFLA’s services and expresses deep gratitude for the support they have provided throughout the years. Without EAFLA, he would have never had the opportunity to meet the wonderful people in the Cleveland Clinic support group. Every month, Paul and his fellow members of the “Cleveland Clinic Family” come together to share their experiences of living with epilepsy, both the positive and negative, and offer support to one another.