Jessica R. Hillwig 

Age: 15
Grade: 10
Market: Jackson, New Jersey

Before Jessica Hillwig had her first seizure, before she was diagnosed with epilepsy, she was just like other kids. And now that she’s had seizures and been diagnosed with epilepsy, she’s still just like other kids—except she has a medical condition that you can’t tell she has when you meet her.

She still enjoys the usual things teenagers her age enjoy—like talking with her friends and hanging out—but she just has to deal with a little more than the usual seemingly life-and-death issues most adolescents are facing, yet she and her family participate in many Epilepsy Foundation activities and seminars. The whole experience sometimes seems to eat up a lot of family time, but it is all helping to make Jessie into an outstanding teenager and role model.

“When most people think of epilepsy, they think of grand mal seizures,” Jessie said. “I want them to see that it’s not always that scary.”