Football and Epilepsy?

[christian]

When i was a senior in high school (2 years ago), i lost all my d1 football scholarships b/c out of the blue i had 3 grand mal seizures in class, and developed epilepsy some where along the way.
My doctor has mixed feelings about it, he never gives me a straight answer. neither does my neuro., i'm back to where the shape i was in b4.
is it possible? or just a bad idea?

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Christian --

If your epilepsy is well controlled, there's a good chance that you would be able to participate in a variety of sports. Be persistent with your doctor and neurologist -- find out exactly what they recommend and why. And get a second opinion if you feel they are not providing enough information.

You might want to do a Google search on Allan Faneca, a professional football player with epilepsy. He's a lineman who used to play for the Steelers and now plays for the New York Jets.

Good luck,
Nakamova

 

[christian]

thank you!
My favorite team is actually the jets.
and one of my favorite players is allan faneca! but i seriously didn't know that! wow thanks for letting me know that. i also found out, samari rolle from the ravens also has epilepsy
they both are pro bowlers, so that just says a lot, thank u again.

 

[flinnigan]

My son was playing football when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He stopped dressing for that season but was still a big part of the team. He played the following season with his Dr's blessings and is doing well.

Never give up your dreams or passions, take the time you need to heal and move on.

 

[christian]

flinnigan- i think its great that you let ur son still play.

i wish my parents and teams were more open minded for that matter of fact! i am actually getting looked at by a few semi-pro teams and my highlight films and stats in the weight room turn some division 1 heads,
i max out bench at 450, run a 4.62 forty, i'm 5'9, 230 lbs,i'm back to where i was sr yr of high school.
but when i tell them i have epilepsy, its like a red flag goes up, and suddenly they are turned off by that

 

[flinnigan]

It was hard as a parent to let him play believe me. The fear of a blow to the head could doing so much harm was frightening, but life is too short to live in fear. I hope your parents are browsing this site also. They need as much support as you.

I'm not sure if its because there is so much mystery still surrounding epilepsy and so much sympathy surrounding cancer, but he sure got a lot of support. My sons tumor was not cancerous but one of his team mates fathers had just passed from a brain tumor when we told everyone. I had friends wanting to do fundraisers for him, but we had to get them to back of for my sons sake. I have a very close group of friends who still fund raise and memorialize our friend who died from cancer 4 years ago yet they haven't asked about me much since my diagnoses. America doesn't realize how many people are afflicted by Epilepsy and the strain that it imposes. I hope that will change very soon.

My best advice to you is to help your friends an teammates understand what epilepsy is and how they can help and use Allan Faneca as an example. Google him and maybe he has a foundation that can help.

 

[Shelley]

Ravens

Hi Christian --

If your epilepsy is well controlled, there's a good chance that you would be able to participate in a variety of sports. Be persistent with your doctor and neurologist -- find out exactly what they recommend and why. And get a second opinion if you feel they are not providing enough information.

You might want to do a Google search on Allan Faneca, a professional football player with epilepsy. He's a lineman who used to play for the Steelers and now plays for the New York Jets.

Good luck,
Nakamova

Wasn't Allan Faneca a Baltimore Raven? Or is that another player?