By Kali Farquharson

Once in the 7th grade, at the beginning of the school year, the gym teacher was doing what all middle school gym teachers do – talk about themselves.

He was telling a story about how someone on his college football team had a seizure in front of him. The advice that he had been given from someone was that you should reach into the person’s mouth and pull out their tongue to make sure they don’t choke.

Luckily, that story ended with him learning that doing that was a bad idea; however, what he learned wasn’t much better. The lesson he got from that experience was to just leave the person alone and let them settle themselves. (That’s bad advice. Instead, learn about Seizure First Aid here.)

The good news is that no one was listening to his story. It’s scary to think what could have happened if people did take his advice. It’s surprising how much other people don’t know about epilepsy.

Kali is a San Antonio high school student who volunteers at the Epilepsy Foundation Central & South Texas. Her brother has epilepsy. The Epilepsy Foundation Central & South Texas provides free community education, including what to do when someone has a seizure. Learn more and find out how to request a presentation that fits your schedule here.

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