There are many accounts of famous people throughout history having epilepsy, but in truth epilepsy was so stigmatizing that many people did not receive an accurate medical diagnosis, and many of the postmortem diagnoses are mere speculation. Here are some people who are known to have epilepsy: Martha Parke Custis (1756–1773) Step daughter of George Washington, died of a seizure at age 17. Jett Travolta (1992-2009) Son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston, died of a seizure at age 16. Danny Glover (1946-) diagnosed at 15, gained seizure control at the age of 35. Tony Coelho (1942-) Former US Congressman and author of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He was rejected by his family and denied entry into the priesthood because of his epilepsy. He is the former chair of the national Epilepsy Foundation board. Alan Faneca - (1976-) American football guard currently with the Arizona Cardinals was diagnosed at age 15. His seizures are controlled with medication. Hugo Weaving (1960-) Actor most recognized as Agent Smith in The Matrix was diagnosed at age 13 and currently takes medication to control his seizures. Chanda Gunn (1980-) US Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey goaltender who won a Bronze Medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics. Martin Kemp (1961–) Former bassist of the band Spandau Ballet had epilepsy secondary to brain tumor. Neil Young (1945–) Singer/songwriter Lindsey Buckingham (1949–) Fleetwood Mac guitarist and singer. Florence Griffith Joyner (1959-1998) American athlete (runner) developed seizures in her thirties, possibly due to a cavernous angioma (discovered on autopsy), died in her bed from asphyxiation following a seizure.
Posted on: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 00:52:52 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015