Shannon Kelly

Age: 11
Grade: 6
Market: Spottswood, Virginia

Shannon Kelly might only be 11, but she’s already been doing interviews on the radio and TV. She is an intelligent and articulate girl who speaks her mind and is concise and direct when speaking about her life with epilepsy and how it has affected her and her family. Life-threatening experiences can help teach a person a lot, after all.

Shannon was only nine when she had her first seizure, and although they appear to be under control at the moment, each one she’s had has been a traumatic experience for the entire family, and more than a year of their lives has been shaped by epilepsy.

Now she and her family are outspoken advocates for people with epilepsy and they try to teach others about it, to help raise awareness and dispel the many myths and misconceptions about epilepsy.

“I wish people would learn that they don’t need to be scared to let someone participate in an activity or be their friend just because they have epilepsy,” Shannon said. “I want people to know that we are just as normal as they are. Just treat us like they would any other normal person.”