Seizures can change your life

Carolina Villasenor was just weeks away from graduating from Sequoia High School in 2002 when her life changed.

She was an active girl, who enjoyed athletics, badminton in particular. At the time, the 17-year-old suffered from epilepsy which caused her to have seizures. She agreed to have brain surgery which would reduce the chance of the seizures by 90 percent.

During the surgery, Villasenor suffered a stroke.

“I woke up and I tried to turn to the side and my arm wouldn’t move. Turns out my left side was paralyzed,” she said.

Villasenor had to stay in the hospital for a few weeks, causing her to drop out of high school. Regardless of her condition, she wanted to remain independent.

“They wanted to you know, help me to the bathroom, but I would rather take myself even if it meant I had my leg dragging behind me,” she said.

After about six months of physical therapy, she was back to normal but not quite ready to head back to school. She did however, decide to start a family. Villasenor married in 2003 and gave birth to her daughter, Natalia, the following year.

Shortly after, she decided it was time. The experience in the hospital had actually turned Villasenor on to the medical profession, one she hadn’t considered before.

Simultaneously Villasenor decided to attend Sequoia Adult School to finish her high school diploma and start at Bryman College to become a medical assistant. Now 21, she finished Bryman in December and will have the chance to participate in both graduation ceremonies this month.

Although Villasenor struggled with a bought of depression right after her stroke, she said the experience has made her a bit more sentimental.

“I look at things now in a really positive way,” she said. “I’m definitely not as negative as I used to be.”