THE SWALLOW'S FLIGHT

About the Book

The Flight of the Swallow, tales of misunderstood neurological disorders was begun in 1988, when I found that people enjoyed both my art and writing. People seemed to gain understanding from both. These papers were given at International Medical Conferences that dealt with disorders of the brain from Europe to China from 1988-2004. Some conferences included mobility as well as neurological disorders. It was my desire to present material from a consumer’s view on these topics. By interviewing many people and using stories from my own life I was able to provide a variety of consumer thoughts on these disorders. As a person who has had epilepsy since age two, and a broken hip since age twenty-one, I have lived through a lot than enables me to identify with some of these disorders. The only way that society is going to understand the hidden disorders, such as epilepsy or bipolar disorder is if people with these disorders speak out. Otherwise, they will retain their stigma. Many people do not know that Friedreich’s Ataxia, a degenerative neurological disorder that is hereditary, is very similar to Multiple Sclerosis. Much is done for MS, but little for FA or Epilepsy. In order for change to occur, acceptance and understanding must take place; and that can only occur through education. The fact that the International League Against Epilepsy decided in 2011 in Rome, to offer a new listing of seizures is positive. They also have suggested that a hand over hand campaign be launched to bring sports into the awareness of epilepsy. As my great-uncle Tris Speaker, who played for Boston, and Washington, before going onto Cleveland, and later managing that team was one of the people who went into the Baseball hall of fame with Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and some other great ballplayers, I am completely in favor of that.

About the Author