Man with epilepsy able to drive again after 34 years
Jez Orbell has bought his first car at the age of 56 after being diagnosed with epileptic absense seizures at the age of 22. Medication now controls his absences and he was cleared to drive again at the end of 2024. As we approach International Day for Epilepsy on 26th March, this is his story.
How would you feel at the age of 22 to be told that you had to stop driving?
How would you feel to be told it would be at least a year before you could drive again?
Frustrated? Annoyed?
How would you feel to be diagnosed with epilepsy and couldn’t drive until your absence seizures were under control?
How would you feel after 33 years and you still hadn’t gone 12 months without a blackout?
Well, for Peterborough man Jez Orbell, that was exactly his experience. That initial diagnosis hit him pretty hard. However, times change and a new medication meant that in September 2024 he finally passed 12 months without a blackout. He could finally reapply for his driving licence from the DVLA.
It had been 12,272 days, or 33 years 7 months and 6 days, since he had to give up his driving licence. That’s well over a billion seconds.
Jez says: "Back in the late 90s when it seemed that no medication was working I gave up on the idea of driving again. With medical advice and support I stopped because I couldn’t see the point if I wasn’t getting the results I wanted. I didn’t take tablets for my condition for about six years.
"I still had the absences. Nothing too debilitating, maybe 2-3 a week or 5-6 a day depending on tiredness or stress. Ultimately it was only the convenience of driving I was missing out on.
"Then, in the mid-2000s, I went back to the doctors to see if anything had changed. This applied to me and also in the development of treatment.
"Over the next 15 years I was back on medication with great support from the medical services available. We tried different tablets and doses to see if we could get the balance right for me. It still wasn’t really about the driving at that time, I’d long put that idea behind me because I’d never gone beyond four months without a blackout. It still seemed too distant a possibility. First of all I wanted to control the blackouts.
"Then, in 2023, something changed. In what was one of the most challenging and stressful times in my career a new medication just seemed to work. There was renewed hope.
"Four months became five, and then six and seven. You can never take anything for granted, but eventually it felt like getting to 12 months absence free was a formality. When that day arrived however I couldn't quite believe it.
"I reapplied to the DVLA and then it was a waiting game and on Friday the 27th December 2024 I officially got my driving licence back.
"I had been cleaning the bathroom and hadn’t even heard the postman. My wife Clare had noticed it was a letter from Wales but didn’t think too much about it as it didn’t say DVLA on it. Before opening I felt the edges of something the size of a credit card so I knew what was coming.
"And there it was. A driving licence. I’m not ashamed to say that I cried because I never thought the day would come.
A complete fluke in the calendar meant that on Jez's 56th birthday at the end of December 2024 his daughter Hollie was able to give him a refresher driving lesson in her car. They arranged an hour’s insurance cover and drove around the back roads of Eye on the outskirts of Perterborough.
"I was 22 when I stopped driving and she had turned 23 a couple of weeks before. That 60 minutes will live with me forever.
"The kindness, the trust, the belief, the empathy and love between father and daughter is impossible to explain. The life experiences we have in 34 years are extraordinary and it was like being taken back in time. It was a little overwhelming but also it was like riding a bike - it felt natural to be behind the wheel again.
"I also knew I would need proper tuition to build my confidence. Later I had some intensive tuition. Country roads, icy conditions, single track, tractors, cyclists, runners, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, dual carriageways, slip roads, roundabouts, multiple turns, exits, junctions, braking, gear changes, mirror-signal-manoeuvre, traffic calming obstacles, bypasses, housing estates, city roads, the works.At the end the instructor said that that I was good to go.
At the end of January Jez took the plunge and bought a new car, a Kia Piccanto. His commute to his Marketing Manager role in Grantham was 1 hour 45 minutes by bus and train. That could now be cut in half. Jez says it is about so much more than time saved in travelling.
I said, “I can do that”. It meant she didn’t have to.
"She didn’t have to find time when there was something else that needed doing. We are decorating our front room and sold a cupboard online. It needed delivering. I said, "I can do that”.
"I did it as soon as it was sold and it was another item cleared. It meant that she didn’t have to juggle time between her hairdressing appointments to do it during the week. Have you any idea how important it is to me to feel I contribute and take the pressure off? Two jobs that took probably 10-15 minutes each were totally impractical for me before.
This is about so much more than just driving. It’s about choice, independence, self-worth and freedom.
The 26th March is Purple Day, the international day for epilepsy. I want to raise awareness that a diagnosis isn't the end, it isn't just about seizures, it is a complex condition that affects so many people in so many different ways.
"You can have even the mildest symptoms and it can impact your life in a major way. Loss of confidence and opportunities. Mental health issues and the knock-on effect with other members of the family too. Those with even more severe forms of the condition have a constant battle and we need understanding and funds to aid vital research.
What is Purple Day?
Purple Day was created in 2008 by Cassidy Megan, a young girl from Canada, who has epilepsy and wanted to get people talking about the condition. Cassidy decided to use the colour purple because lavender is recognised as the international flower of epilepsy. Cassidy not only wanted to raise awareness but also assure people with epilepsy that they are not alone.
Purple Day has grown to be a global event and we are proud to be an official Purple Day partner and raise awareness of the impact epilepsy can have on people's lives.
You can make a difference on Purple Day.
Find out more here: https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/get-involved/purpleday