Children

61

Author and Illustrator Stacey Chillemi provide spectacular proof that children really understand more than you think. Illuminating cartoon illustrations of confusion and fear that epilepsy can cause, this new edition of My Daddy Has Epilepsy uses lively, subversive illustrations to show how to understand what epilepsy is and what to do if someone is experiencing a seizure.

Excerpt
Hello, my name is Stacey Chillemi and I am the author of this children’s book, “My Daddy Has Epilepsy.” I am writing this piece to you to explain what the book is about and how this children’s book can help you and your family understand, cope and not fear the disorder known as epilepsy. In the year 2000, my husband and I had moved into a new neighborhood with my 2 sons, and my daughter. All three children were toddlers at the time. Even though I developed epilepsy at the age of 5 my kids had never witness me having a seizure.

One day I was outside my home and I had an aura I felt a seizure beginning to evolve and before I new it I was having the seizure in front of my children for the first time. My children were scared and even though I had explained my disorder many times they were still a bit confused about what epilepsy is, what happens and what to do if someone is having a seizure.

You can explain what a seizure is, but honestly to see someone have a seizure, especially for a child can be scary and very dramatizing. After the seizure my children were very scared, confused, and worried about their mommy and they had many questions to ask afterwards.

I tried to explain everything to them in simplistic terms, so they could understand epilepsy better, but everything didn’t seem to click. They were still confused, scared, and worried. They wanted to help me, but they didn’t know how.

So one day I sat down wrote a story about the day I had a seizure. I explained what epilepsy is, and what to do if someone has a seizure. My goal was to educate and try to explain to my children why they shouldn’t fear epilepsy and seizures.

When someone understands epilepsy and they know what to do you’ll notice that the fear begins to disappear and the situation (having the seizures) is treated with more confidence and children are able to cope with their love one’s disorder better.

The story and the illustrations I created helped my children understand my disorder completely. And they’re not afraid of my seizures anymore. They know what to do and the fear of their mommy having seizures has gone away. It’s a part of mommy. It’s a part of her life and now they have learned to accept it. In fact my daughter many times has introduced as, “Hi this is my mommy and she has epilepsy!”

I put many epilepsy resources in the back to help educate you and your children.

Epilepsy is not going to stop me from enjoying life. In my eyes, I am winning the battle because I have not even up on life. I am determined to live a happy, healthy and productive life with my family and friends.

And so you’re not confused I would like to explain why they are two versions of the book. When I first published the book they only allowed me to publish it with black and white illustrations and the size of the book came in 6x9.

To their surprise the book did so well that they allowed me to publish the book with all color illustrations and the book is much larger now.

Version 1 Black and White Illustrations
Version 2 Color illustrations and it is a larger book.

Thank you,

Mrs. Stacey Chillemi