Keyonia Cox Journey With Epilepsy
Submitted By Keyonia Cox
In this article Keyonia tells her story of being an epileptic and some of her struggles with it. Unknowingly at the very young age of seven Keyonia was displaying signs of possibly having epilepsy. Keyonia would stare off into space or would not hear her parents when they would speak to her. After Keyonia had her first grand mal seizure at the age of thirteen and undergoing tests Keyonia was diagnosed with having epilepsy.
Her family was preparing for a trip out of town, and she didn’t feel well. Keyonia ended up passing out and her sister underneath her found her lying unconscious on the floor. Keyonia’s sister ran frantically yelling for their parents to come quickly. Keyonia’s parents found her unconscious on the floor and immediately called the doctor. After going to the doctor, the doctor referred Keyonia to a neurologist. The neurologist ran an electroencephalogram and photosensitivity tests on her. From there Keyonia was diagnosed with epilepsy.
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder of the central nervous system. The central nervous system is the part of the body that consists of the brain and spinal cord.
When the brain is affected by an injury the electricity in the brain becomes irregular. Having too much electricity in the brain causes my body to shake and lose control, causing me to have seizures. (from my book, “I Have Epilepsy”)
Epilepsy may occur as a result of a genetic disorder such as trauma or stroke, but one does not always know the reason why they have developed seizures or epilepsy.
During a seizure, a person experiences uncontrollable behavior, symptoms, and sensations. These sensations are called auras. Auras are when a person feels very light-headed or a weird, strange feeling comes over them.
Keyonia suffers from two types of seizures petite mal and grand mal seizures. They are categorized as colonic tonic or generalized seizures.
Stress, not getting enough rest, the sun, diet, and even colors can trigger seizures. If one has photosensitive epilepsy blinking lights, the ambulance, police or fire trucks, concerts can cause one to be triggered and have a seizure.
Epilepsy is usually treated by medications and in some cases by surgery, devices, and dietary changes.
As told by Keyonia, I started gaining weight and people would talk about me. That was very hard, but my mom and family supported me through it. My mom has especially been my strength through it all. She made me strong. She told me, “Don’t let someone’s opinion of you become your reality. “She knew that as a woman and an Afro-American women that I was going to have to be strong.
My neurologist at the time stated that I would not be able to do a lot of things, but my mother told her neurologist that Keyonia is going to do these things. Keyonia was not taught to learn helplessness with her disability.
Keyonia’s college journey was easy for her either. Keyonia gained her freshman fifteen plus some. Keyonia became unhappy with herself, and she had to create a whole new lifestyle for herself. Keyonia went home the summer of her senior year of college and started weight watchers. Keyonia worked hard all summer and returned to college having lost thirty pounds. Keyonia remained focused and disciplined, and she lost a total of 45-50 pounds and she has now kept it off for 29 years.
Keyonia graduated from college with a degree in education and she later went back to school to pursue a degree in nutrition. In 2020 Keyonia opened her first business, Key Ingredients, LLC in nutrition and food safety. She published her first book, I Have Epilepsy in 2021, because there was not enough awareness on epilepsy and created her platform, Love for Lavender to speak about epilepsy awareness. From there Keyonia wrote her second book, Consequences in 2023 and opened her 2nd business, Rhombus, Incorporated a non-profit, in 2023 and published her third book, A Diamond in the Rough. You can get a copy of Keyonia’s books on many platforms including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, and iTunes just to name a few.
Keyonia just launched her product called Eyoni in January of 2025. This a balm to help epileptics or anyone who has muscle pain to heal muscle soreness. Epilepsy affects the muscles, and one is very sore after having a seizure.
Keyonia is on the Epilepsy Foundation Board and the Oxford Association Board. Keyonia stays committed to her mission of spreading awareness about epilepsy and being an advocate for her fellow epileptics. She also enjoys being an educator and nutritionist in her community.
Keyonia would like to thank God, her family, friends and her community for all of their support!
To connect with Keyonia you can email her at kcox3@hotmail.com