1965 was a significant year in our lives, as we were blessed with a baby boy whom we named Rohith. Though the delivery was a difficult one we were assured that everything was normal. Five days a week I am away from home as I take care of our coffee estate.

When Rohith was 6 months. I went on my weekly trip to our estate. But the very next day I got a telegram to come back home quickly. Rohith had developed high fever and had a febrile convulsion, which was terrifying for my wife. Our doctor assured us that these thing do happen. We were to apply cold towels and give Gardenal to prevent convulsions whenever the child developed a fever.

All was well till the boy was 3 yrs. One afternoon after lunch, while he was playing , he suddenly stopped all movements and began to stare for a couple of minutes. This was his first petit mal attack .The doctor in my native town Birur suggested we take him to a pediatrician who in turn said not to worry, but to keep a watch on the child and report back of any developments. After a couple of months when Rohith had another petitmal attack we were asked to see Dr.Reddy who was the head of Nimhans in Bangalore. I did not waste time in meeting Dr.Reddy. it was he who told us our boy had 'Epilepsy'.

It was an unforgettable night for us. The word ' epilepsy' had given us a great shock. No one in both our families had it. Epilepsy was a taboo subject, we did not tell our closest relatives about it. We did not even tell Rohith`s school teachers. However , we saw to it that Rohith was given his medicine most regularly. This was the early sixties. I tried to get all the information I could on epilepsy. I joined the Indian Epilepsy Society, the ILAE and the Epilepsy Foundation of America. I got a lot of support from these organizations.

To make a long story short, over time Rohith`s condition stabilized and after seven years of no seizures, Dr.Reddy felt it was time to reduce the dosage gradually. This we were able to do successfully. I met Dr.Reddy again in 1993 to invite him for Rohith`s marriage. Today Rohith is happily married with two children of his own . When I tell Rohith about his earlier battles with epilepsy he says he does not remember anything at all !!.

Source : Epilepsy India Newsletter, Jan- March 2005 Issue