Award Winning AUTHOR – TALK: PATIENT SELF ADVOCACY

Monday, March 30, 1:00-2:00 pm – Despite a lifelong challenge managing epilepsy, author Laura Beretsky has led a good life. After having a grand mal seizure at work, she was devastated by the subsequent job insecurity. When her first child was born three years later, she worried that loss of awareness during seizures jeopardized his safety. Laura opted for brain surgery despite the terrifying possibility of life-threatening complications. Her book offers candid descriptions of rattling physical experiences of smaller and grand mal seizures and patient self-advocacy required to get the best possible medical care. Laura will read a short excerpt from her 2024 medical memoir, Seizing Control: Managing Epilepsy and Others’ Reactions to It. The book won the 2025 Coalition of Visionary Resources Gold Medal Award for memoir and Silver Medal Award for Social Justice books. Following the reading, Laura will lead a Q&A and discussion focused on best practices for patient doctor collaboration and patient self-advocacy as tools for getting optimal medical care. This topic is one of the underlying themes of the book, as Laura wrote Seizing Control with the goals of increasing awareness about epilepsy and empowering patients to play an active role in their treatment plans.
Please register at 617-730-2770.