Julie Dennison has had epileptic seizures every day of her life. Despite this, she has held down jobs, has been married for 25 years, has had two healthy children and has just published her first book.
A frequent visitor to Pembrokeshire with her husband Mike and sons Paul and David, Julie is the daughter-in-law of Tenby resident Gladys Dennison, another published writer. Julie's nephew Patrick is part of our production team, while her sister-in-law Tessa Ovenden runs a cottage industry from her Tenby home.
Having little self confidence, Julie was horrified when friends suggested she gave a talk to a school about living with epilepsy, a common condition that is still widely misunderstood. The success of the talk surprised her, and it led to many others. Not only that but she found that radio stations, national magazines and even Carlton Television were interested in her story.
The book, 'Weathering the Storms - Living with Epilepsy', is based on the various talks, with much additional material. Topics include facts and figures, childhood, work, relationships, marriage, pregnancy, motherhood, seizures, overcoming depression and panic, and medication. It contains details of several funny incidents that occurred during Julie's life, and much insight into what it feels like to have a chronic medical condition. It is, above all, an uplifting story. Although Julie still has daily seizures, she has managed to rise above them all to live a full life and even achieve several lifetime ambitions. For instance, she has recently returned from a tour of Egypt.
'Weathering the Storms - Living with Epilepsy' (ISBN: 0-9546777-0-6) can be ordered from any bookshop, from Amazon.co.uk, or via Julie's website http://www.livingwithepilepsy.org.uk">www.livingwithepilepsy.org.uk