A man's struggle with epilepsy

The first sign Graeme Robb had epilepsy was when he smashed his ATV through a farm gate.

"It was 2004. I was moving cattle, it started from my chest up. I [drove] to the gate I could see it was closed but I just couldn't stop."

He plowed through the gate without realising what had happened.
"I turned around to see the quad bike with all four wheels in the air, I thought 'that's not right'."

From that day his symptoms would progress over time to the point he was experiencing episodes daily.

While some may think of an epilepsy episode as a seizure, for Mr Robb an it feels more like a blank slate.

"If someone asks me a question I'll know the answer but I just can't speak it, or I might say something way left of field that doesn't make any sense."

An episode may only last a minute or two.

"That minute or so can be the difference between life and death."
In March last year Mr Robb was driving in front of Caroline's Boatshed when he had another episode.

"I thought I was slowing down for the car in front of me, but I must have been accelerating. Next thing I know I'm upside down on the roof. They told me the ute did a 360 and rolled up onto the barrier on the riverbank."

As a result of the accident he fractured his vertebrate and tore his left chest muscle away from his ribcage.

He's also had to give up his job as a fencer.

"I can't drive or work out in remote locations. For a person like me it makes work very hard to find."

"There's just too many things I can't do. I can't work at heights, in or around water or with power tools."

A proud working man the sixty-three-year old says it was very hard to go from working his whole life to staying stuck at home.

"Its embarrassing."

"I became very unmotivated, thinking 'what am I going to do, how am I going to pay the bills'?"

Because his wife has a job he barely qualifies for the sickness benefit, receiving only $32 dollars a week.

"That doesn't go very far. My wife supports me but its hard on her too."

"I've paid taxes my whole life and when something like this happens you feel penalised."
"So if anyone has work available I'd appreciate it."

Epilepsy New Zealand's Dianne Darbyshire says this story is typical for many with the condition.

"It's very hard. Especially for men. They're used to being the bread winners, the providers. When that goes, they lose their sense of self."

This Sunday is Purple Day. An international awareness day for those with the condition. Ms Darbyshire says it provides an opportunity for the public to understand more can be done to help those like Mr Robb.

"The government should be assessing people like him on a case-by-case basis to see what can be done for them."

"This could be anyone. One day you could get into a car accident whack your head only to develop symptoms weeks later."

For more information visit http://epilepsy.org.nz or contact 0800-EPILEPSY.