Ant Guide Q5

Mentally impaired people are worthless, and cannot function like "regular" people. 

This statement hits a little too close to home for me. Because I was diagnosed with "petit mal" (little big in French) seizures when I was 8, I guess you could say that I am "mentally impaired". This trait runs in my family, my mother was diagnosed when she was young my brother as well, and then me. Luckily it is something that is outgrown so neither my mom, nor my brother are still affected. Even though I am lucky to have such a mild diagnosis, (compared to the Grand Maul seizures, which is probably the scary image that comes into your head at the word seizure,) In fact my family does not like to call them seizures, that word is kind of scary, we refer to them as "space outs". But they are not nothing. I still have to take medicine for it twice a day. About once a year I have to go to Children's Hospital for an EEG, which is basically where neurologists, (brain doctors) look at my brain while I sleep to see if there is any seizure activity.  

So how does all that background information tie into the question?  (I promise it does)

This Thanksgiving, I was doing a lot of thinking about what I was grateful for, and while some things where obvious, (good friends and family, house, education etc.) one I had away mentioned struck me: Heath. It is easy to say that you are thankful for your health, and normally when we say that (or at least when I did) I was referring to my gratitude of not having the flu, or catching a cold, catching whatever bug was going around the school, or that my older grandparents are all in good heath. However, a family member (I don't remember who) pointed out to me, what if I was not able to take my medicine, Zorontin, twice a day. What if I lived during a time when it had not yet been invented? What if my family was in a different financial situation and was not able to afford the medicine? I would be incredibly limited because although the seizure itself does not harm me, it just looks like I am distracted, or looking somewhere in the distance for a little while, if I could not take my medicine so much would be different. I would not be able to ride a bike: What if I spaced out and fell? I could not drive: What if I spaced out and hit someone? The limitations would be endless.

So, although I do not know when my medicine was invented, I do know that if I lived in a time when it was not, my life would be incredibly challenged. I would be "mentally impaired". People would stereotype me and maybe some would be scared of me. That is why I think it is important to make a conscious effort to see past someone's looks, or the first odd thing that you notice about them. Give everybody a chance. Easier said than done but remember: nobody is worthless.

Think about your life, do you take any prescribed medications? Does someone you love? How would your/their life be different if that was not available?