Liane tells her epilepsy story for Epilepsy Awareness Week

At the age of 31, Liane Draper was working fulltime and looking after two young children, when she began to experience seizures that left her with lockjaw and black spots in her memory.

Liane felt that her busy, stressful routine with family and work may have contributed to the situation in which her Epilepsy was discovered. She said: “At the time I didn’t stop. I’d do a full day’s work, then come home, sort out the girls and then spend the whole evening cleaning the house top to bottom. Looking back now I think it’s safe to say I was struggling mental health-wise. I wanted everything to be clean and tidy, but obviously I went too far with it.”

The 44-year-old, from St Helens, was diagnosed with Epilepsy and was referred to The Walton Centre for treatment.

She said: “I’ve had lots of scans and treatment over the years to really pin down which parts of the brain my seizures are coming from. The Walton Centre has been amazing throughout. I’m able to speak to experts about my care regardless of what it is. I really appreciate their support and their ability as a team to look after me from a number of different perspectives.”

At the beginning of 2022, Liane had a procedure where telemetric sensors were inserted into her brain, to further study the origins of her seizures. Then, in December that year, Liane underwent brain surgery, after which she is yet to experience another seizure.

Liane continued: “It was a long surgery, and I’m still on anti-epilepsy medication, but to be so far seizure-free is incredible, and I cannot thank The Walton Centre enough. The hospital is like my security blanket. Particularly Professor Tony Marson and the team, they are focused, empathetic and incredibly compassionate.” 

The Walton Centre hosts one of the largest Epilepsy services in the UK. The specialist Trust offers multidisciplinary care, from the first seizure through to complex epilepsy and brain surgery. The hospital has recently been announced as one of only two centres for Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy, a cutting-edge procedure for patients with Epilepsy that is not easily controlled with medication.

For more information on our Epilepsy services at The Walton Centre, head to our website: https://www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk/departments-and-services/epilepsy/488215