Hi there, my name is David Marton and about 3 years ago I wrote my first article about how I go through everyday dealing with seizures Sturge Weber syndrome and how I deal with it everyday. Recently I got to speak at the Seize the Day walk/run event in Windsor Ontario, hosted by Epilepsy Southwestern Ontario. I’m writing a second article. I’m calling it how to live with Epilepsy and Living with JOY.
So I want to start from when I went to grade school through high school till now. So back in grade school kindergarten to grade 8 I had to live with epilepsy and my disability and part of that was my red port wine stain on my face which I was very insecure about and I felt neglected by a lot of people and I thought to myself I’ll never love I’ll never get to experience life like everyone else because I’m ugly and no one will want me. Going through grade school and high school I got picked on made fun of called names and been teased because the way I look and in gym class I was always the last one to get picked for everything and when people used to make fun of me, or I used to have a seizure in the playground during recess time. They used the crowd around me and laugh at me and it hurt a lot. Even in high school I had a bunch of names. People used to call me and put me down and it’s because how I handled it. That’s why I am where I am today is because I would laugh it off at school but when people called me all those names it stuck with me deep down and I used to go home crying and that’s when it hurt the most, but I never really told anybody about it. I struggled with my disability because I couldn’t do the things other people could do and even as a guy, every guy’s dream is to drive. And that’s one thing that I can’t. One thing I will never be able to do because of my epilepsy, but it wasn’t until I saw a story of change from this guy on YouTube called Nick. He was born with no arms and no legs and after seeing his story and hearing how he gets through life I told the Lord that I have nothing to complain about, because I was paralyzed in a wheelchair before and God healed me through surgery, and through therapy rehab, and I thank God everyday for where I am today. Those of you who are dealing with depression and anxiety because of your disability, I want to be that person to encourage you that you could. You can do anything you want to if you put your mind to it. If “plan A" doesn’t work, there’s always a “plan B".
For me, yes I can’t drive but I can DJ a wedding with somebody helping me as an assistant. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t do something or you see other people doing something that you want to do, I want to encourage you to go for it because you can do it if you put your mind to it. Now, I work the or Zehrs in the produce department which I love what I do. Yes I have had seizures in the past at work, but my co-workers help me get through the day if I do have a seizure. I rest and I keep going.
I also own my own Business a Christian DJ service and I Specialize in weddings and any event people book me for. I always have an assistant DJ with me and my own driver to help me set up and tear down. So, if there is anyone who needs encouragement or a buddy, I can cheer them on. I’m an epilepsy influencer and I would love to help anyone out who doesn’t have an outlook on life because of their disability. Jesus gave me hope and joy in my life and because of Jesus, he gave me the joy in my heart to honor him and everything I do. Despite my disability, he gives me the ability to DJ and play music for him and put on great shows for other people and the community. And at the same time, I get to inspire people one conversation at a time. That’s a big part of my life. Yes, I take my medication everyday as it’s part of my life. There’s nothing wrong with being on medication whether it’s for seizures, depression, anxiety or anything that people deal with. One day at a time is my advice to everyone out there who has epilepsy, or any kind of disability. Don’t always look at the things that you can’t do, look at the things that you can do and focus on that, because when you focus on the things that you can do, you will have so much joy.