"I'm constantly petrified of having a seizure in public": Warwickshire woman on epilepsy awareness
New data reveals that one in three people would walk away if they saw someone having a seizure
A woman from Warwickshire is calling for increased awareness on epilepsy as she's left scared to leave the house in fear of having a seizure.
New data from Epilepsy Action reveals that one in three people would panic when they saw someone having an epileptic fit, rather than supporting them.
29-year-old Tayyibah Apabhai, from Warwickshire, has epilepsy and says the statistics are shocking: "It's petrifying to hear that people have not received education on how to support people with epilepsy when they're having a seizure in public.
"You have no control of your body when you're having a seizure and that puts you in a vulnerable position; it's scary going outside knowing that 54% of people don't know what to do."
It's estimated that 630,000 people in the UK are living with epilepsy and there are around 80 diagnoses each day.
Epilepsy Action also revealed that 76% of people have never received seizure first-aid training, and more than a fifth would wrongly try to put something in a person’s mouth, and nearly one in ten would try to hold them down, which can cause serious harm.
Tayyibah says there is a lot of misunderstanding surrounding the condition: "People look at your face and can think you look normal but you're actually having a seizure.
"Sometimes it can look like I'm daydreaming when I'm having a small seizure."
Tayyibah also shares how to act if you see someone having an epileptic fit in public: "Firstly, protect the head, make sure they're breathing and call an ambulance straight away.
"In the past, when I haven't been protected, I have woken up with a huge amount of injuries all over my body."