Meeting Monica was a Special Experience for Georgia Teen

by Sylvia Blair
EpilepsyUSA staff
Posted: November 3, 2003

When the Epilepsy Foundation invited 16-year-old Daniel Allen to attend a recording session with Monica for an Epilepsy Month radio message, he admits he felt a little nervous about meeting a famous person.

But his reservations melted away the moment he realized that they have something in common. “Monica is an ordinary person. I am also an ordinary person, “ said Allen.

“She happens to be a celebrity. I happen to have epilepsy,” the poised young man noted.

Monica is a Grammy Award winning R & B singer who recorded Epilepsy Month public service announcements to be played on radio stations across the country.

These messages will be aired on the Radio One Network and many other stations. The announcements promote the Epilepsy Foundation’s “Get the WORD Out!” contest, part of its “Entitled to Respect” campaign during November. November is Epilepsy Month.

“Monica was very funny and answered many questions. She was very patient while we took pictures and asked for autographs. I will always remember this experience,” said the East Point, Ga. teen, who developed epilepsy in infancy after a bout with viral meningitis.

Daniel has lived with epilepsy his entire life and knows the special challenges the disorder creates.

“I used to have eight to 30 seizures per month. My seizures were not controlled by medication,” he said. “When I was in the fifth grade, I had a seizure during recess. I fell to the ground and passed out. My friend started slapping me, and screaming my name in an attempt to ‘wake me up.’”

One of the goals of the “Entitled to Respect” campaign is to educate young people about proper first aid for seizures.

Daniel’s epilepsy was also a concern for his family, some of whom would become upset during his seizures. “I have an aunt who cried when I had a seizure in her presence,” he said.

Dealing with other youngsters was no easy matter, either. “Once during seventh grade, I got an out-of-school suspension for fighting a kid who made fun of my epilepsy,” Daniel said, adding that he relies on his twin brother and some other classmates for emotional support.

Fortunately, things turned around for Daniel on August 24, 2001 when he had brain surgery. He has been seizure-free since then, but still takes some medication daily.

“I have my learner’s permit now. I am a good and careful driver. This would not have been possible before the operation,” he said.

Daniel says the Entitled to Respect campaign is important because people need to understand that teens with epilepsy are no different from other teens in all the important respects.

“We are involved in school and community activities,” he said. “We just happen to have a neurological problem that we have no control over. Other teens can respect us by learning about epilepsy. They can either read about it, or they can talk directly and earnestly to someone like me who has epilepsy.”