How Alison’s four-legged friends help her epilepsy
18 months ago, Alison McNamara could barely leave the house without worrying she might have an epileptic seizure. But with a little help from her friends, and most of all from her horse Thea, she is now seizure-free and starting to enjoy life as she once did.
She hopes to raise awareness of brain disorders throughout Ireland with her charming book, ‘Letters I Never Sent’, all proceeds of which are going to St James’ and St Michael’s hospitals in Dublin.
‘I have to pinch myself sometimes that I haven’t had any type of seizure in well over a year,” says Alison, whose grandaunt was well-known Drogheda woman Daisy Comyn. “But then I have to remind myself that I now understand what’s happening to me and I feel less stressed.”
Alison’s story began when she was 26, when a second bout of meningitis led to what she thinks was her first seizure. And even then, it was a four-legged friend who may have saved her life.
“I was out walking my dog Holly, and it seems she stopped me walking out in front of a car,’ she recalls. “A nurse happened to see what was going on and came over to see was I alright, and that’s when I realised something was wrong.’
It seems Alison had what is known as a complex partial seizure, a form of seizure during which the person loses awareness.Her epilepsy went undiagnosed for years and her quality of life began to suffer. “I used to so independent, and drive everywhere, but suddenly even travelling by car could bring on a seizure,’ she says sadly.
The plan was to try and retrain her brain to regain some of the functions which were being eroded by her seizures. Her first task was to find a new companion, as she had lost Holly the dog after 13 years of friendship.
“I knew I couldn’t get another dog, so one day when I was horse-riding, a friend said she was looking for a home for a race horse, I don’t know what possessed me, but I fell for her immediately, and as the vet says, I ended up with a three quarters of a tonne pet dog!”
The horse is the granddaughter of Sadler’s Wells, the thoroughbred racehorse owned by Robert Sangster and trained by Vincent O’Brien, who was bred in the United States but raced in Europe, winning the 1984 Irish 2000 Guineas, Eclipse Stakes and Phoenix Champion Stakes.
Thea is now her constant companion, and is helping her and many others, with her unique form of therapy.
“When I got her, I couldn’t walk properly, as I had a terrible weakness down one side, and I also spoke with a stutter.
“So, one day, when I was taking Thea out of the stable, I just concentrated on the lovely clip-clop sound the hooves make, and as she was walking, I fell into step with her and kept the same pace.
“I did this day after day until I learned to walk properly again, and while I was walking around, started to say words out loud, and after a while, my stutter started to fade too.”
Thea also featured in a few of the brain-training challenges she set herself too!
“People take a lot of simple tasks for granted, like taking a selfie, which I found very difficult, so my first challenge was to take on of me and Thea on my mobile,” she says with a laugh.
“I then set myself nine other challenges, all of which helped to increase my confidence, and retrain my brain.” From learning tennis, archery and tai chi to swimming at the 40 foot in Sandycove, Alison gradually began to feel like her old self.
“I had been writing a blog and sharing some of my experiences but wanted to think of a better way to get the message out there, so bit the bullet and started to write a book,” says Alison, who studied journalism in Newman College. “Funnily enough, it was Drogheda journalist Pat Comyn, whose mum and my grandmother were sisters, who encouraged me to become a writer, so I know he would have been proud of my efforts!”
The book is called ‘Letter I Never Sent’ and is the story of Alison’s journey and includes stories of others suffering in similar ways for different reasons.
“It started out as letters to some of my friends, as I found that writing it all down helped me, but of course I never sent them,” she says with a smile.
“So, in the book, I’ve taken a bit of a lighthearted look at some of the things that have happened to me, and I hope it helps others to understand neurological problems a little better.”
Thea and her therapy have helped Alison so much over the past few years, she has now developed a project for older people with dementia.
“The Stables Project is an Equine Friendship Project for Older People and we are seeing so much success, it is now being recognised in the fields of Occupational Physiotherapy and Neuropsychology.
“As far as I know this is the only therapy of its kind in Ireland for older people, and I am so proud to share Thea’s Therapy with others, especially if it helps them as much as it helps me.”
‘Letters I Never Sent’ is available now on Amazon Books for £8.99.