THE pandemic has felt like “a wrecking ball on my shoulders,” according to a man who suffered multiple seizures a day due to the stress of Covid-19.
Billy Hendren’s epilepsy symptoms – triggered by stress – became so bad at the outset of lockdown that his family began taking each day hour by hour. The 26-year-old Ayrshire man also has hydrocephalus and additional support needs and struggled to cope with isolation and loss or routine as Scotland shut down.
His social support workers could no longer make twice-weekly visits and he was unable to attend mass through the week and at weekends.
Living with parents William and Denise in Mossblown, South Ayrshire, his condition has now improved.
But he says many people like him have suffered disproportionately since March 2020 and he’s now joined the #BeyondCovid campaign by Epilepsy Scotland and partners. It aims to show the impact of the pandemic on people with epilepsy.
An Epilepsy Scotland survey found 80% of respondents said Covid-19 has impacted on their mental health and wellbeing and 44% said their seizure activity had increased.
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Hendren used the charity’s helpline and taken part in virtual coffee mornings to alleviate his stress and anxiety. He said: “I felt as if I was carrying a wrecking ball on my shoulders. It has had a big effect on me. When I was watching the first Covid briefing and Nicola Sturgeon was going through the list and explaining the changes, I was very, very upset to hear about the closure of places of worship and I had a seizure.
“I fully understand why they did this but for people with additional support needs, the golden rule is that we have a set routine and we keep to it. If you let me know a change well in advance, it will be okay, but if you let me know the night before there will be an issue.
“The changes have been hard and it has been hard on my parents.”
His father William said: “Everybody has been through a hard time. Billy’s seizures were getting worse. We would take it day by day, then we had to take it hour by hour.”
The #BeyondCovid campaign coincides with National Epilepsy Week and Lesslie Young, chief executive of Epilepsy Scotland, said: “Crises always disproportionately affect the most vulnerable people in communities. People with disabilities and life-long conditions, including epilepsy, have been worst hit by the ongoing global pandemic.”
For more information visit www.epilepsyscotland.org.uk
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