ART FREES THE MIND AND UPLIFTS THE SOUL

Vincent Van Gogh is associated to art and epilepsy. I adore Van Gogh's paintings. I can spend countless hours looking, admiring and studying Van Gogh's paintings. Every time I look at Van Gogh's paintings I get a different feel. His paintings are full of life and colours. His painting techniques and strokes depict and describe who he is and how he is in character and attitude. Reading materials written by art historians about Van Gogh only deepens my understanding of this world reknown artist and reinforces my liking for art.

Art is therapeutic. Art heals my wounds, hurts and also helps me forget negativities. Art nourishes my soul because every time I finish a painting I am in a gratifying and thankful state of mind. I am deeply thankful to God for granting me the gift of art.

As a young girl I had a great liking for art. I left school hoping to pursue a degree in Fine Arts. Financial situation did not permit me to ensue my hope of studying my dream degree. I worked and studied part time with the hope to obtain a different degree for career advancement. In the weekends and spare time, I will visit my favorite Art Shop (Venus Art Shop) to source for art materials.

I browsed through lots of art books in bookshops to read and understand more about different modes of painting. I also enjoy spending my time in art galleries. Whenever I am in art galleries I lose track of time and meal hours.

I am a self taught person who loves art. Friends and family members have encouraged me to enrol for art courses now which I no longer wish to do so. I only want to paint with the talent that God has given and I believe it is by this way I am able to maintain my own style, creativeness and originality in my paintings. I aspire only to paint in my own "SERENE" way.

It is my aspiration and dream to have my own solo Charity Art Exhibition one day. I hope I will be able to sell my paintings to raise funds in aid of poor and needy PWE (people with epilepsy).

A series of desert scene painted in August 2008

I encourage everyone to pick up a brush and paint. Start painting and feel and experience the magical wonder, greatness and positiveness that are derived from painting. By painting, you are in control of your state of mind. Your emotions and heartfeelings will flow and move with your brush. One need not be an artist in order to paint. Every painting no matter whatever the outcome is your personal creation and a state of the art piece. A painting speaks of a thousand words.

Inquiry into epileptic fit arrest

The arrest of an man with epilepsy in Ballymoney is being investigated by the police ombudsman.

It is alleged that Melvyn Graham, 46, was handcuffed while he was having a seizure on the Frosses Road last month.

His sister, Mandy, said the police may have mistaken Melvyn for a drunk or a drug abuser and he had suffered nerve damage in his wrists.

The PSNI said officers, using minimum force, restrained a person suffering from a known medical condition. "It is understood the ambulance staff later conveyed the man to his home when his condition improved and restraint was no longer required," said the PSNI.

The family said Melvyn had suffered epileptic seizures all his life and has had to be resuscitated on numerous occasions. Mandy Graham said on the day in question her brother remembered someone asking him what he had been taking.

"After that he cannot remember. He minds seeing the handcuffs," she said. But he cannot remember them being actually on him. We only have the physical marks and the damage done to the wrists that they'd definitely been there.

Solicitor Derwin Harvey said Mr Graham, who he described as a "vulnerable individual", was considering seeking compensation from police. He said most people in Ballymoney would be aware of his client's seizures and how to treat him. "They were very shocked and very angry that the police appear to have handcuffed him when he suffered a seizure on 25th June," he said.

As a result of handcuffing Melvyn, he has sustained quite serious injuries to his wrist as the handcuffs were applied when he was suffering from a seizure. Mr Harvey said police officers should be able to differentiate between a person having a seizure from someone who is on drugs. "The police have a duty of care to members of the public, especially vulnerable members of the public," he said.

"So the family are very angry if it is the case that they have applied handcuffs to him when he is in the middle of a seizure. It should have been apparent to the police that to take that course of action they were putting Melvyn at the risk of causing himself serious injury."

A spokesperson for the police ombudsman, Al Hutchinson, said: "We can confirm that we have received a complaint in relation to an allegation of assault."

" I am outraged by the senseless act of the police officers. I cannot imagine my hands being handcuffed during a seizure. Likelihood is I would have broken wrist bones because of my osteopinia condition. So often, I hear and read of news about police personels acting in uncivic and inappropriate ways when handling members of the public. The basic role of a police is to protect and safeguard people and not to unknowingly and carelessly harm people instead. "

source : news.bbc.co.uk

EPILEPSY ID

We live in a world where having our own ID (Identity Card) is compulsory. The purpose of an ID is to allow people to identify us where ever we are. In my 30 over years of having epilepsy, my ID had being a crucial identification mode for medical people to obtain information pertaining to my spouse. There were numerous times when my husband had received calls from hospitals informing him of my admittance because of epilepsy.

Apart from carrying an ID, it is essentially important for PWE to carry an epilepsy ID as well. We all know it is very time consuming for medical people to retrieve official information about us from our National ID Registration Office and hospitals where our medical records are being kept. In order that medical people can attend immediately and appropriately to us, time is of the essence. An epilepsy ID instantly provides information such as phone numbers of our next of kin, the types of medication we are taking, the dosage of our medication and the names and telephone numbers of our neuro doctors.

My membership card with Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria,
my epilepsy ID card and my name card

CARRY AN EPILEPSY ID NOW. IT SAVES LIVES.

If you have difficulty in applying for an epilepsy ID, make yourself your own epilepsy ID. Be creative and artistic about your epilepsy ID. Cut a blank card the size of a credit card. On one side, design, draw, sketch and paint your own unique designs on it. Leave a blank space in the center of your design. Write the word EPILEPSY IN BOLD. On the reverse side of your card, draw lines for you to fill in your required particulars. Keep this card in your purse or wallet always. To keep the card in good condition, laminate the card. Constantly update your card if there are any changes over time.

Footprints in 'The Epilepsy Legacy'... ...come join me

Please click on the image to read details

GREAT IS THY ACT CLARA

From my experiences as an epilepsy activist, I had come across too many people who are not the least bothered or interested to know anything about epilepsy. Mentioning the word "epilepsy" turns people away. Many pleasant, polite but uninterested people obliged by listening to me talk about epilepsy. Their faces looked blank. Amidst these people, there are also the small groups of interested people who expressed keenness in knowing more about epilepsy. They are either people with epilepsy themselves, caregivers of PWE or non epileptic people who have a golden heart in ensuing medical knowledge on a general basis.

One person I know who is non epileptic and has a sincere interest in engraving her footprints permanently alongside mine in my epilepsy journey is Clara. Last April, Clara had told me of her kind intention to participate in a run to help raise funds in aid of people with epilepsy. I was very much taken by Clara's charitable deed. Clara is a loyal follower of my blog. With the understanding she had acquired about epilepsy from my blog, Clara is determined to help me spread words about epilepsy as well as extending her help to PWE in her own unique ways.

On the 28th of June, last Sunday morning, I met up with Clara at the Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia, to see her run off with hundreds of participants who had joined in the Annual Melbourne Run. In her bid to finish the run, Clara had successfully gathered a handsome sum of Aud450 in aid of Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria. Thank you very much Clara for your noble deed.

I will continue to work harder to promote epilepsy awareness because great is my inspirational reward that comes from loyal followers like Ted from Red Bank, New Jersey, USA, Clara from Melbourne, Dodit from Indonesia, Ross from Melbourne, Evelyne from Malaysia, Ben from Taiwan, Jackie from Malaysia, Keimi from Hong Kong, Pauline from Melbourne, Rose from Phillipines, Dr Marshal Mo from Taiwan and many more other motivating supporters from around the world.

To everyone, especially people with epilepsy, SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND FLY HIGH - REACH OUT TO THE WORLD, TOUCH AND BE TOUCHED.

On the left, my son Edmund and Clara in the center

Clara walking with participants to the starting point of the Melbourne Run

Clara with her medal