How much would your life change if you suddenly lost your independence? Imagine you are driving to work or school in the morning, like any other day, but suddenly you find yourself waking up in the middle of someone’s front yard, unable to recall how you got there. Our guest today, 20-year-old Samantha Robison, found herself in that very scary, very real situation as a teen. Samantha shares what it is like to have this surprisingly common diagnosis, how she is navigating the world in a new way these days, and what she is doing to regain control of her own life as a young adult.

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[1:21] Samantha introduces herself, and we hear why Diana asked her to be on the show today. “I woke up and I didn’t really know what had happened.”

[4:07] “What drugs did you take?” With the hospital staff convinced that Samantha had done drugs, and Samantha unable to keep her eyes open, it took some digging to finally get a diagnosis. 

[5:16] “Now they are looking at my brain and they are saying it’s really bad.”

[8:48] After coming home with a new diagnosis that scared her, Samantha had to adjust to a new way of life. “Everyone in my family was just staring at me.”

[11:35] “It was devastating every time.” Feeling as though she was never going to get relief, Samantha grapples with her new normal.  

[14:30] Both her medication and her continued seizures were stripping Samantha of her independence, but this one thing was truly shattering for her as a 17-year-old.

[16:35] “I was always afraid to ask for that.” We hear what Samantha felt she needed most after her diagnosis. 

[21:40] We hear how Samantha is managing these days, how her family is coping with her diagnosis, and how she sees her independence in the future.

[24:25] Samantha describes what makes her feel loved and shares her special message for anyone who may find themselves in a similar situation.

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