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A schoolgirl whom we thought was "dreaming of daydreaming" in her classes was suffering from epileptic seizures.
Jasmine Banovic, who is now 21, has had several seizures, where she lost consciousness for a few seconds, but the teachers thought she was not paying attention.
Ms. Banovic, of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 11, after two years of seizures.
In the worst case, she would have up to 30 seizures a day, lasting anywhere from ten seconds to five minutes.
Now, the graphic arts student – who has been home schooled from the age of 15 – is open on her fight.
21-year-old Jasmine Banovic reportedly lost focus in her classes because of her absence. In the photo, eight years before the beginning of his crises
Ms. Banovic, a graphic arts student, was very anxious during her childhood, unable to reveal her diagnosis of epilepsy for five years.
She said, "In the five years since my diagnosis, I have not spoken to anyone except my best friend and family.
"At this age, you just want to be like everyone else. I did not want that to happen and to say it out loud was like accepting it, which I was not ready to do.
"I think some of my friends and teachers knew what my parents told them, but I never told them about it. How could I explain that to others when I did not understand it myself?
Ms. Banovic remembers her missing seizures beginning around the age of nine, without knowing what was going on.
She said, "This is not the kind of crisis you stereotypically imagine when you think of epilepsy. Instead, I would lose focus and stop responding.
"People thought I was dreaming.
Worried, something more sinister was happening after talking to a friend who mentioned missing seizures, Ms. Banovic's mother took her to see her GP.
His hearing was tested, but the results were normal. Ms. Banovic was referred to a neurologist.
This led to a series of tests and investigations and a diagnosis of epilepsy at the age of 11 years.
The neurological condition causes seizures due to a sudden intense electrical activity in the brain.
Epilepsy is diagnosed in one in 100 people in the UK.
According to epilepsy, epilepsy accounts for 2 to 8% of cases of absence in childhood.
In the United States, an estimated 2.2 million people with epilepsy.
Ms Banovic said: "At the time, I had never heard of epilepsy, so I was very confused as to what was going on.
"I felt incredibly isolated, as the only child in the world where this was happening. I would have liked to know at the time all the available support, such as Epilepsy Action Association.
"It would have been a lifeline for me to be able to talk to others in my job."
In the years that followed, Ms. Bavonic found herself handicapped by worry, terrified to go out in public, or even to school, in case she would have a seizure.
About 70% of children with absent epilepsy will see their seizures completely controlled with one or two drugs against epilepsy.
But stress being a major trigger in Ms. Banovic's case, she found herself stuck in a miserable cycle, unable to control her crises.
Ms. Banovic, photographed at the age of 13, has turned back on her homework and felt misunderstood by her peers. She was educated at home from 15 years
Ms. Banovic felt herself ready to open to a therapist at the age of 16
As a result, her studies suffered and she ended up feeling left out, before finally leaving at age 15 to go to school at home.
She said, "I had to miss a school where my anxiety and my seizures were very serious. The times I went in, I felt ignored and misunderstood because I had missed so much.
"At that age, all you want is to integrate – but I felt so different. I ended up shutting myself in the world, not ready to face or talk about what was happening. & # 39;
Considering that home schooling was a big help, because it allowed her to catch up on her learning, Ms. Banovic finally felt ready to open up to a 16-year-old therapist.
Speaking openly and honestly about what she felt encouraged her to then have frank conversations with her family and friends.
Ms. Banovic, photographed with her dog Bronte and her puppies, now has her controlled seizures with medication. She speaks to raise awareness
Ms. Banovic had trouble speaking to people on the condition that she did not understand herself.
Medications allowed her to better control her epileptic seizures and she slowly began to feel stronger.
She said, "When you receive something so huge, so young, it's incredibly disheartening.
"But talking was a turning point for me and allowed others to better understand what life is like with epilepsy."
Ms. Banovic speaks in a report published by the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, which revealed that nearly 90% of boards and health authorities do not offer any support for mental health in epilepsy clinics.
This is despite the fact that children and young adults in the UK are four times more vulnerable to mental health problems, according to Epilepsy Action.
Ms. Banovic said, "Because I do not do any more seizures, people think I'm fine, which is not the case, because I still suffer from side effects."
Although she feels mentally stronger than ever, Ms. Banovic's medication still causes fatigue, headaches and nausea.
She said: "I do not know how good I will feel from one day to the next. As a result, I lost friends because of this because they assume that I cancel my projects because I do not care when, in fact, it's because I'm not doing well.
"I would also like schools to be better educated so that teachers are better equipped to help children like me. If the right support is there, you can absolutely continue to have a happy and normal life. & # 39;
Today we celebrate Purple Day, an International Epilepsy Awareness Day to be held on March 26 this year. For more information, visit www.epilepsy.org.uk.
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