Between Us

A New Lease on Life

The day Shanté Scott signed the lease on her new apartment, she felt she had also gotten a new lease on life.

As a young, single woman with epilepsy, Scott is happy to be living comfortably on her own, but her independence, achieved at the age of 20, was difficult to come by.

Scott started having seizures one month before her twelfth birthday. The doctors couldn't identify a cause for her seizures and told her she would likely outgrow them. She started taking medication but it didn't help. She continued to have seizures. "I would doze out and start shaking," Scott said.

"I would come out of it and fall asleep."

A Stressful Situation

She had been living with her grandfather since she was 17. Without any support from other family, life was difficult for her then. She didn't have any transportation, so it was hard getting to the doctor and she had a lot of questions that weren't getting answered. It was a stressful situation for Scott, who feels that the increased stress led to increased seizures - seizures in school, at home, even on the bus on her way to see the doctor.

Although she'd graduated from high school with honors, she had to drop out of a computer training program because her seizures remained uncontrolled.

"I was having six seizures a day and the medication wasn't working," she said. "My gums were swelling [from the medication] and I was losing weight."

Her future looked more and more uncertain every day and she longed for the stability of a secure home she could call her own.

In August 1999, she got a call from Lisa West, the residential coordinator at the Epilepsy Foundation of the St. Louis Region.

Difficulty Finishing Program

"Shanté had been part of Illinois' vocational rehab program where she was getting training for employment," said West. "But she was having so many seizures every day she couldn't complete the program."

The state referred Scott to the Epilepsy Foundation and they immediately came to her aid, driving her to her appointments and trying to figure out a way to improve the quality of her life. Best of all, she became a candidate for the Foundation's residential living program.

"When someone has an issue with independent living, we help them identify their goals and help them achieve them," said Darla Tempelton, executive director of the St. Louis Foundation.

From finding an apartment to finding a roommate, the residential program approaches independent living from many angles. In some cases, people are referred to the Foundation's employment program if they'll need a job to pay their rent.

"We want people with epilepsy to live in a safe, secure environment and participate in the community," Templeton said.

Searching for a Home

When Scott decided she was ready to get out on her own, she knew she could count on West for support. The two combed the newspapers and drove the city looking for just the right apartment.

"We looked around for about six months," Scott said. "I kept getting turned down because I wasn't 21 yet. Other places wanted someone to co-sign and I didn't have anybody to do that for me. But then Lisa found the place where I live now."

Taking Control of Life

Now Shanté Scott is looking forward to many new experiences. She has more control over her environment and her future, a factor that has gone a long way towards reducing her stress. She is able to get to the doctor more regularly and her seizures are better controlled after fine-tuning her drug therapy.

She plans to get a job and go back to school. "I want to go to college and study computer technology. I hope I can go six months without having a seizure so I can get my driver's license and get a car. "I hope my future will be something good."

Return to between us Frontpage

View the Current Issue of between us