Stronger than a seizure

Raquel Rodreguez, like any mother would, knows her child and what she may be capable of, but in this instance, she sat and listened as her eldest daughter, Sarah St Vincent, spoke about the importance of young people surpassing the struggles they’re dealt with in life.

Being epileptic isn’t her story, it’s not what makes Sarah St Vincent stand out or important. What separates her is her strength to not be held down because of her epilepsy. Even at her young age, she embodies what it means to walk with faith. Matching the consistency that many young women get their menstrual cycle, Sarah experiences a seizure at least once a month. There is a family theory that a little two-year-old Sarah got shocked by the faulty cord of an old sewing machine. Her parents noticed her trembling and marked this as the beginning of Sarah’s epilepsy, a condition that runs in both sides of the family. Many different things can bring on a seizure within an epileptic person, but for Sarah, a moment of shock, like “tripping over a cord” could bring it on.

“My hand gets stiff and goes straight up. If it goes straight up, then my whole body will get stiff and I will fall on the ground. I’m conscious and I’m aware.

I can see everything and I can hear everything... It feels like I just froze in time and everybody is just moving.

I can’t move or speak.” Though there are many different types of epilepsy, Epilepsy Action’s website defines it as a condition which effects the brain, stating, “A seizure happens when there is a sudden burst of intense electrical activity in the brain. This causes a temporary disruption to the way the brain normally works. The result is an epileptic seizure.” “Hold my head up and cool my head down because it gets really hot,” are instructions she wants people to know in order to help someone who may be having a seizure.Thinking back to her primary school days, at Malick Girls Roman Catholic School, she remembers one of her worst experiences, “I rolled straight down the stairs. The whole half of my face was bruised.” When students were rushing down the stairs someone pushed Sarah, which caused a seizure to come on. In a moment of helplessness, she fell down two flights of steps.

“Being a mother, it’s heartbreaking to see my child have seizures and you will ask yourself ‘Why me, why my child?’” As she cleared her throat, an increase of strength seemed to envelope her. “God does not put you through trials and tribulations for nothing. So I try to tell (Sarah)just to be positive and pray. It’s not easy, it’s a fight and a struggle everyday,” says Raquel.

Both her mother’s brother and father’s brother outgrew their epilepsy, so the family keeps hope in their doctor’s words that Sarah can outgrow it too, but until then, it’s clear that her faith will remain strong. “I want to tell (young people) four steps they can take (in order to get through what they may be going through). One is to know your goals and the second one is to pray, because God can help you do anything.

The third one is to have confidence and the fourth one is to put in the work. You can’t pray and you can’t have confidence and know your goals without putting in the work. If you don’t put in the work, you won’t get it back out.” Listening intently, Raquel interjects,” She’s growing, she was really shy because of the illness because kids used to bully her.” Sarah continues, “I didn’t use to study it. The people who bully they bully because sometimes they feel bad about themselves or something and most likely, not to be harsh or anything, but they don’t study their work... they don’t have confidence.” As she speaks, wisdom glows from her face as if she were six times the age that she is now.

Her faith and her confidence is what keeps her going and is what allowed her to put her best foot forward to achieve such great results with her SEA exam.

“When I came out of the test, I just jumped up.” Her ear-to-ear smile makes her love for school very obvious.

Due to her medical condition, she is allowed about 15 extra minutes to complete the exam.

Upon sitting for the SEA on her second attempt, Sarah proudly passed for the prestigious St Francois Girls’ College, Belmont.

The Math lover boasted about her new school.

“The teachers are cool...

I’m learning French, Biology, Language Arts, Integrated Science and Group Guidance.” Sarah’s deep enthusiasm for learning continues even outside of school. “I love, love, love piano. I used to study music by myself, my mother didn’t even know.” At the young age of ten, she began writing compositions to be played on the piano any time she got the chance to be near one. Excited at the possibility of getting a keyboard for her birthday this November, she said she loves playing for her cousin on the grand piano owned by a close family member.

Seeing the passion on her daughter’s face, Raquel expressed that she wanted other “parents who have children who are sickly (to know), it doesn’t matter if they are sickly. Just try to push them. Some children may not be academically inclined, so you must see what your child loves and push them in that way forward.” Knowing that she could be going through so much worse, Sarah and her family lean on each other and God to stay strong. With the support of their community and a teacher dear to Sarah for the support she’s given, Joy Rush, Sarah is a motivational example of the silver lining that everyone needs to appreciate despite their dark clouds.