CALLUM JONES - RESILIENCE THROUGH ADVERSITY: MY LIFE WITH EPILEPSY

I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was eight years old. At that age, it was something I didn’t fully understand — moments of blankness, confusion, and hospital visits that I just accepted as part of life. By the time I was eleven, I was off medication and thought I’d left it all behind. For a while, I did. But when I was fourteen, my seizures came back — mostly absence seizures, though under extreme stress I’ve also experienced tonic-clonic ones. Over the years, they’ve evolved just as I have.

Through my teenage years, rugby was everything. I trained relentlessly with one goal in mind: to become a professional player. Rugby gave me purpose, structure, and belonging — it was my identity. But at twenty, I was forced to retire because of my epilepsy. That moment shattered everything I’d built my life around. The sport I loved was suddenly gone, and with it went my sense of who I was.

The years that followed were filled with uncertainty. I worked in kitchens, bars, theatres, schools — even cleaning supermarkets at five in the morning — trying to find direction again. I didn’t know where I was going, but I refused to stand still. Each job, each setback, became a lesson in resilience and humility.

When I was twenty-three, I decided to start fresh and pursue something that had always interested me: health and nutrition. That decision marked the beginning of a five-year journey to becoming a registered dietitian. For the first time in years, I had purpose again.

Then, life hit harder than ever. While transitioning between medications, my father passed away suddenly. The shock, grief, and stress triggered the most severe and frequent seizures I had ever experienced. It was a challenging time that tested my strength and determination, but I stayed focused on my goal and continued to move forward.

Eventually, I found my footing again. My seizures became controlled, my focus sharpened, and I finished my undergraduate degree. When I started my postgraduate diploma in Dietetics, I was finally in a stable place — physically and emotionally. I completed three NHS Wales placements, passed every challenge, and earned the title I’d worked so long for.

When rugby ended, I thought I’d lost the competitive fire that drove me. But I found it again through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo — sports that keep me grounded and give me the same drive, discipline, and camaraderie I once had on the pitch, without putting my health at risk.

Epilepsy has shaped every chapter of my story. It’s taken things I loved, but it’s also given me perspective, strength, and empathy that I never would’ve found otherwise. It’s taught me to adapt, to rebuild, and to grow stronger through every setback.

I have had lots of setbacks because of my epilepsy, there are lots of ups and downs. It’s far more of an emotional and mental rollercoaster than people realize, but I wouldn’t change anything about my past because it’s all led me to where I am right now.