I have a long-term project on the go. It’s called Humans of Mayo and is based on the well-known Humans of New York. I have a website – www.humansofmayo.com and a Facebook page – here. Do pop over there, have a read, share our stories and don’t forget to hit the LIKE button to follow along. If you’d like to be a Human of Mayo, drop me a line.

Brenda

“Back in 2009, I developed a grand mal seizure out of the blue in my sleep. I worked as a community palliative care nurse for 14 years. It was quite a shock because I lost my driving licence for a year. So, therefore, I lost my job.

And when I went to navigate the health service to find out more about what I needed to know about epilepsy, I realised when I contacted the charity, there was only €500 a year available for West of Ireland services.

I decided then to develop Saddle Up For Epilepsy. It was the first epilepsy cycle to be done in Ireland. So, from the budget of €500 for the West of Ireland, we made over €63,000 for our services here. I wanted to raise awareness and I wanted to get rid of the stigma.

So yea, I did that … and just then last year they found an irregularity in my heartbeat and I had a pacemaker put in, in July. So, I’m kinda glad epilepsy helped me because it slowed down my life to the correct pace. It put everything into perspective … of how life is just run in the fast lane.
It’s like putting a 400-meter run into a marathon. Not achievable – you’re gonna crash at some stage.

So, I’ve retired from the HSE. and I’m only 43. But, it’s put life in perspective.”