My name is Lisa-Marie Kinsman and I am the author of "Free at Last, My Lifetime Battle to Overcome Epilepsy". It has taken me over fifteen years, off and on, to write my autobiography. For several years I had given up hope of ever seeing my book published.
I finished my book in 2006 and was literally married to my computer for close to eight months searching for literary agents and publishing companies who were open minded enough to give my book a chance. Not much housework got accomplished in those eight months and I didn't see much of my husband while I was locked away in my office. After hundreds of rejections I finally found Publish America who was open minded enough and willing to read my book and then take me on as a client to help me make my book as presentable as possible.
I have been through more life altering experiences than any human should have to endure throughout their lifetime. I truly believe that I was put on this earth for a very good reason. They say a cat has nine lives, and I am probably working on my fourth life by now. I was so heavily medicated for my epilepsy when I was a child and a teenager that I am lucky to be alive today. In 1994 I underwent the scariest surgery I have ever undergone...head wide open, surgery lasting fifteen and a half hours, and doctors playing around with my brain. Here's the glitch though, I was required to be fully awake and alert for about ninety percent of my surgery! In 2004 I came very close to dying of blood clots in my leg and my lung.
I believe that my purpose in this life is to educate people on the subject of epilepsy. Epilepsy has been "in the closet" since the beginning of time. Society has still not completely accepted epilepsy as they have those who are wheelchair confined, the blind, deaf, mentally challenged, and those who are missing limbs. It's time to bring epilepsy out of the closet and for society to embrace those who are afflicted with epilepsy so that they may blend into the general public just like everyone else. Epilepsy is not contagious. Seldom does someone die from having a seizure. A person who has epilepsy can not swallow their tongue, it is physically impossible.
My experiences, as scary as some of them may sound, have actually been a blessing in disguise. They have made me a stronger, more confident person as well as an epilepsy advocate/counselor to people all over the world for the past twelve years. My trials and tribulations have turned me into the person I never thought I would ever become. I have been a motivational speaker on behalf of the Epilepsy Foundations of Syracuse and Rochester, New York as well as the EFA of Western Pennsylvania, which is something I never imagined myself doing was public speaking. If anyone had asked me back in 1993 to talk to a group of people on epilepsy, I would have laughed at them for sure.
I host two of the few epilepsy chat rooms available online and have been doing it since 1995. I have counseled well over 1,800 people worldwide who have epilepsy. The chat rooms are held every Wednesday and Saturday night from 7:00-10:00 PM est. Anyone can access the chat rooms. Just follow these simple instructions.....
1) Because of all the problems people are having with America Online and Yahoo!, either open up your Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox and type in the following address...
http://epilepsybrainstorms.org/chat.html
2) When you have the web page up on your screen simply type in your screen name and password and click on the epilepsy chat link. It is the only epilepsy chat link on the page. It will bring you directly into the chat room. Make sure to save the chat room once you enter it to your Favorites on Internet Explorer or Firefox so that it will be easy for you to find it for future chats.
All of our members are caring and compassionate folks who have been through it all. So I don't think there is anything you can tell us that will surprise us. Our members are wonderful people who, whether they are seizure free or not, are willing to listen and help you in any way they can.
If you have any questions I can be reached by email at either: LisaM11463@aol.com or JoanofArc1994@yahoo.com .
"Changing the misconceptions society has about epilepsy, by educating one person at a time"...Lisa-Marie Kinsman
My book can be purchased at www.publishamerica.com right now. My MySpace address is: www.myspace.com/LisaM11463 I look forward to hearing what people think about my book. I anxiously await your opinions.
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I can be reached at: LisaM11463@aol.com or JoanofArc1994@yahoo.com . I look forward to reading your ratings and comments about my book.