The challenge

To raise money for Epilepsy Scotland in its 70th anniversary year, I will be swimming 70 kilometres in 10 days. That's 280 lengths a day. For my last swim challenge, I did 120 lengths a day, so this is turning it up a notch!

I know times are tough, but if you can spare any amount of money at all, I would be hugely grateful!

What became Epilepsy Scotland first met in Glasgow City Chambers in 1974 under the name 'Scottish Epilepsy Association'. At the time, people with epilepsy could be refused services such as hotels, restaurants and public services.

Today, the picture is much better, but many people with epilepsy are still excluded from taking part in day-to-day life, even without legal impediments. Whether feeling unable to take public transport or go to the shops for fear of seizures endangering themselves or creating uncomfortable situations for those around them, barriers to living lives are still significant.

Epilepsy Scotland works with people living with epilepsy to ensure that their voice is heard. Around 58,000 people in Scotland live with epilepsy and they help anyone with this common serious neurological condition, their families, carers and employers.

Epilepsy Scotland believes that people living with epilepsy have a right to be free from stigma and discrimination, have access to high-quality medical, social, educational, support and information services be valued and included in society and determine their own way of life.

You can find out about the amazing things Epilepsy Scotland does - providing advice, running support groups and services, offering training, commissioning and contributing to research, and driving policy change and campaigns - on their website.

Epilepsy and me

I had my first seizure when I was 18. I had just arrived at a friend's house and bent down to untie my shoes. I woke up several minutes later, unaware of who I was, where I was, who those around me were, what had happened or what was going to happen to me. I had just had a 'grand mal' seizure (the kind most will be familiar with - someone falling unconscious and fitting on the floor). Aside from the danger and physical toll of the fitting period, the subsequent confusion is an experience in which you feel simultaneously trapped in your body and disconnected from reality. It is terrifying.

Having epilepsy not only comes with the physical parts of the condition but impacts the mental health of those with epilepsy and their friends and family. Watching someone having a seizure is a horrifying experience. Studies show an increased prevalence of PTSD in family members and carers of those with epilepsy. Rates of depression and anxiety are higher in people with epilepsy. Indeed, anxiety is something that has affected me significantly in the years I have had epilepsy.

Over the last 12 years, I have been on a medical journey to control my epilepsy. After years of trying different and varying quantities of seizure-control drugs and managing their side effects, I have now been seizure-free for 3 years.

I've chosen a swimming challenge to highlight the fact that there are many everyday things many people with epilepsy can't or choose not to do because of the risk seizures pose. Some with uncontrolled seizures would choose not to have a bath, let alone swim in a pool.

Whether controlled or not, epilepsy is ever-present in the daily lives of those with the condition and those around them. With support from charities like Epilepsy Scotland, however, that need not be a bad thing. The support and sense of community the charity provides not only helps mitigate the effects of epilepsy for many, but enriches and becomes a central part of their lives.

I have the privilege of being a trustee of Epilepsy Scotland and I see first-hand the incredible work they do to support people with epilepsy and their loved ones. It is a truly brilliant charity and deserve every single penny they raise - yours will be going to the very best of use.

Thanks to all who donate to and share this fundraiser, and thanks also to TheMagic5 who donated a pair of their custom-made personalised goggles for the swim!

Michael x