Prince speaks about epilepsy problems

[unique]

Prince speaks about epilepsy problems



By Alex Fletcher (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a154301/prince-speaks-about-epilepsy-problems.html#), Senior Entertainment Reporter




http://images.digitalspy.co.uk/08/09/160x120_Prince.jpg




<!-- google_ad_section_start --> Veteran popstar Prince has spoken out about suffering from epilepsy as a child.


The 50-year-old singer revealed his struggle with the illness during an interview with PBS's Tavis Smiley.


"I've never spoken about this before but I was born epileptic," he said. "I used to have seizures when I was young.



"My mother and father didn't know what to do or how to handle it but they did the best they could with what little they had."


Speaking about overcoming his problems with the condition, he added: "My mother told me one day I walked in to her and said, 'Mom, I'm not going to be sick anymore', and she said 'Why?' and I said 'Because an angel told me so'.



"Now, I don't remember saying it, that's just what she told me."
Prince is currently promoting his three-disc release LotusFlow3r.


http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a154301/prince-speaks-about-epilepsy-problems.html

[unique]

I was born on a blood stained table
Cord wrapped around my neck
Epilectic 'til the age of 7
I was sure heaven marked the deck



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy

Epilepsy (from the Greek επιληψία /epili΄psia/ ) is a common chronic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_%28medicine%29) neurological disorder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurological_disorder) characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seizure).<sup id="cite_ref-PMID8330566_0-0" class="reference">[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy#cite_note-PMID8330566-0)</sup><sup id="cite_ref-PMID11580774_1-0" class="reference">[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy#cite_note-PMID11580774-1)</sup> These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain.<sup id="cite_ref-Fisher2005_2-0" class="reference">[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy#cite_note-Fisher2005-2)</sup> About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, with almost 90% of these people being in developing countries.<sup id="cite_ref-World_Health_Organization_3-0" class="reference">[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy#cite_note-World_Health_Organization-3)</sup> Epilepsy is more likely to occur in young children, or people over the age of 65 years, however it can occur at any time<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference">[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy#cite_note-4)</sup>. Epilepsy is usually controlled, but not cured, with medication, although surgery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgery) may be considered in difficult cases. However, over 30% of people with epilepsy do not have seizure control even with the best available medications <sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference">[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy#cite_note-5)</sup><sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference">[7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy#cite_note-6)</sup>. Not all epilepsy syndromes are lifelong – some forms are confined to particular stages of childhood. Epilepsy should not be understood as a single disorder, but rather as a group of syndromes with vastly divergent symptoms but all involving episodic abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

[The One]

The Epilepsy Foundation Commends Rock Star Prince for Talking About It


WASHINGTON, April 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Epilepsy Foundation applauds legendary rock star Prince for sharing his childhood experiences with epilepsy.

Prince revealed he had epilepsy during PBS's Tavis Smiley show. The award-winning musician said, "I used to have seizures when I was young and my mother and father didn't know what to do and how to handle it, but they did the best they could with what little they had."

Prince said he had to deal with a lot of things in life and attributed his past flamboyant behavior to being teased as a child. "Early in my career I tried to compensate for that by being as flashy as I could and as noisy as I could." He said he had never spoken publicly about his epilepsy before.

"The myths surrounding epilepsy have been part of our society for far too long," said Eric R. Hargis, president and CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation. "We are incredibly grateful that Prince has shown everyone with epilepsy the importance of following your dreams and talking about the condition. The Epilepsy Foundation has numerous programs and resources to help people with epilepsy cope with the challenges they face today, and we are the largest nonprofit funder for epilepsy research for a cure tomorrow."

Greg Grunberg, star of NBC's 'Heroes' and spokesperson for the Epilepsy Foundation said, " I can't thank Prince enough for sharing his personal story. My son had such a smile this morning when I told him that Prince had epilepsy and has gone on to live his dream of making music and changing lives. I welcome Prince to the community of celebrities and entertainers who are talking about epilepsy. Grunberg and the Epilepsy Foundation recently launched www.TalkAboutIt.org (http://www.TalkAboutIt.org), a site where celebrities, healthcare professionals and the public are coming together to help end the stigma around epilepsy.

http://sev.prnewswire.com/health-care-hospitals/20090428/DC0725728042009-1.html