I have taught several students who were epileptic. Interestingly, no parent has notified me about how they would like their child to be cared for should they have a seizure in class. Yet when a student is diagnosed with other conditions such as diabetes or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, their parents have prudently informed me about the signs I should look out for and the preferred care they would like to be given to their child.
It is such hesitancy about being identified with the disorder that prompted Claudia Schlesinger to start the Hong Kong chapter of the epilepsy charity Enlighten 10 years ago.
She was also inspired by the example of her brother-in-law, former rugby international Tom Smith, who speaks openly about his condition to raise public awareness.
"I want other sufferers to know that epilepsy doesn't have to be a barrier to achievement," he said.
Epilepsy is a common neurological condition that interrupts the electrical activity of the brain. It is neither contagious nor a mental illness.
A 2006 population-based study by Gardian C.Y. Fong and his team from the University of Hong Kong found that its prevalance in Hong Kong is greater than previously thought. This underestimation, the researchers suggested, was due to negative public attitudes toward people with epilepsy, leading some patients to avoid disclosing information during the survey.