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Headlines 11 Merle Vlasblom was born in Taumaranui and had her first seizure at age two. Pragmatic, tenacious, and quick-witted, Merle learned to get on with life at a time when epilepsy treatments were far less effective than they are today. She worked her way up as a corsetiere (corset maker) in Taumaranui. On a trip to Fiji, she met her future husband, John, with whom she had two children. Notably, she was originally under the care of a young Sir Peter Gluckman, who went on to become one New Zealand’s best-known and accomplished scientists. However, the medications she received had awful side effects. Thankfully, and for no known reason, Merle’s seizures stopped when she was 42. Some decades later Merle's husband suffered brain damage following an aneurysm. Merle was devastated. She describes himas a kind, wonderful man, and for ten years she cared for him, paying back the kindness he afforded her during her illness. Her story in her own words: “My name is Merle Vlasblom and I suffered from epilepsy for 40 years. The best advice I can give is to lead as normal a life as possible. Make sure your friends and work colleagues know your problem. I was fortunate in one respect in that I got a warning of an impending seizure and I could tell people what was happening. This did not always help of course. I remember coming home from doing some shopping and telling the lady across from me on the bus what was happening. I can still see the look of horror on her face. The next thing I remember was arriving home in an ambulance. I had been taken off the bus and into a house until the ambulance arrived. I have two children and I told the ambulance officers my address and that my husband was home with the children. I went to school at a small country school and then went to boarding school in Whanganui until I was 17. I worked in a local store for a few years, then later in a large drapery shop where I became a corsetiere. The company was later bought by Farmers Trading, where I continued working until I married my Dutch husband and came to Auckland. Unfortunately, at the age of 70, he suffered a brain hemorrhage. I nursed him for nine and a half years and worked a few hours twice a week at a local pharmacy. He died a few weeks before his 80th birthday. I have had a few years of dealing with neurological problems, so I decided to support the Neurological Foundation.” Supporter Merle shares her story Merle Vlasblom shares her story about living with epilepsy and caring for her husband, who suffered neurological damage later in life. She is a long-time supporter of the Neurological Foundation. "...I suffered from epilepsy for 40 years. The best advice I can give is to lead as normal a life as possible. Make sure your friends and work colleagues know your problem." Merle and John Vlasblom on their wedding day.