An Arkansas woman’s late breast cancer journey

Little Rock, Arkansas — Many people throughout the world struggle with what is referred to as a “invisible sickness,” which is a physical issue that isn’t readily apparent to others.

Epilepsy is one of those disorders that can go unnoticed by a person.

Sadie Kirk is one of more than 32,000 Arkansans who have been diagnosed with epilepsy, according to the Epilepsy Foundation.

She has already put in a lot of effort at a young age to raise awareness of the condition and let those who have epilepsy realize they are not alone.

Sadie revealed that, like the majority of high school students, she is involved in a variety of clubs and groups.

“I’m an orchestra magnet and I participate in the Arkansas Youth Symphony Orchestra,” said Kirk.

She also mentioned that she participates in Girl Scouts and 4H.

“The main thing I’m working on my life right now is with Girl Scouts, where I’m doing my gold award,” said Kirk.

She also collaborates closely with the Epilepsy Foundation of Arkansas on top of everything else.

“Epilepsy is really important to me because I’ve had Epilepsy since I was four years old,” said Kirk.

She has actively worked through the foundation to ensure that more people are aware of epilepsy and are aware of what to do if someone is suffering a seizure.

“There are 19 states currently that have the seizure first aid training and Arkansas is not one of them,” said Kirk. “So, we’re working really hard to try to get that in Arkansas.”

Sadie knows directly how isolated it can be, so her goal isn’t just to raise awareness but also to ensure that others going through the same thing feel recognized.

“People don’t understand what I’m going through. I don’t know anybody who has epilepsy in my community, and it made me feel very alone,” Kirk added.

Sadie is very aware of how isolating it can be, therefore her objective is not only to increase awareness but also to make sure that others living through similar circumstances feel understood.

“She’s really taken something that she’s had to live with and had to try to navigate and made it such an amazing thing,” said Charlene.

Someone who has been diagnosed with epilepsy may find it difficult to complete simple daily tasks.

“When she gets anxiety, or she gets tired, or she just starts reading, you know, she’ll have a little seizure, and then she has to start again,” Charlene described.

“So, you know, what a lot of people take for granted. You know, Sadie’s had to kind of like overcome that just to be able to do it,” she added.

Charlene acknowledged that she had drawn inspiration from her daughter’s fortitude on both good and bad days.

“She’s like taking charge of her life, you know, taking charge of the advocacy part of it, I would have never, you know, never have guessed that it would go this direction,” said Charlene.

Sadie wants to serve as a voice for those who have experienced similar circumstances.

“I want to be able to be that person who can say, you know, whether I’m drug-resistant, whether I’m still having Epilepsy, you can do you can do anything you can do whatever you set your mind to,” She explained.