Biography
Biography: Ann Marie Gillie
Abstract
In Canada alone, an average of 42 people a day learn that they have Epilepsy and over 50 million people worldwide suffer from the disorder. I can say that I Beat Epilepsy. It was 6:30 AM on December 03, 2002. I remember being wheeled down the hall at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada by the porter with the silence it felt like we were the only ones in the building. You could hear a pin drop. I had lived with epilepsy for almost 20 years of my life and that was about to change. Left Selective Amygdalo-hippocampectomy is the surgery I was about to undergo and it is what cured me of my seizures. The left parahippocampal gyrus, left amygdale and left hippocampus were removed; structures within the left temporal lobe. I had 6 seizures 2 days before the surgery and I have not had one since. Since my surgery, I have accomplished some amazing tasks in my life. I have written two books, was asked to be a Canadian Advocate for Epilepsy in 2012 and have been a motivational speaker for over 8 years. Helping others is my passion, is my calling. I want to educate others internationally from a patient’s point of view, help them understand that they are not alone when it comes to living with epilepsy.
