A HUDDERSFIELD epilepsy sufferer is backing a new pilot scheme to help others take control of their illness.
Joanna Hirst, 24, has given the thumbs-up to a new action card encouraging people with epilepsy to keep a seizure diary.
The Take Control card has been launched across Yorkshire and Lancashire by the charity Epilepsy Action.
It will be made available for people to pick up at pharmacies.
Once complete, the diary will provide valuable information to help people work with their doctors to establish the best epilepsy treatment.
Joanna, of Gilroyd Lane, Linthwaite, said: "I think it is a very good idea and is something I have been doing for years.
"Showing doctors a calendar can be very useful. I have even used the information myself to come up with graphs showing patterns of seizures."
She said the condition - which affects one in 131 people in the UK - was worse during times of stress.
She said: "It is better during the summer months when I am resting.
"But during my GCSEs, for example, it went up a lot."
But it hasn't stopped Joanna - who still suffers seizures frequently - living life to the full.
She managed to complete a one-year art foundation course at Huddersfield Technical College and is now studying for a degree in graphic design at Huddersfield University.
She added: "I have tried different drugs but it is still not under control.
"The only thing it has stopped me doing is driving because you have to have been seizure-free for about two years. If I ever get it under control, I will want to learn."
