The 31-year-old Brazil native spoke with CBS This Morning about the epilepsy diagnosis she's known about since she was 9 years old.
Epilepsy is a chronic, noninfectious neurologic condition defined by disturbances in neural activity in the brain. These abnormal electrical discharges in the brain are known as seizures, which can involve strange sensations, convulsions, spasms, and loss of consciousness. A person who has had two or more unprovoked seizures is considered to have epilepsy. While epilepsy cannot be cured, many people who have the disorder can control seizures with medication.
Despite sharing her life with her 8.6 million followers on Instagram, this was one topic that Coelho held close. In an emotional interview, she described her first seizure, recalling that she could hear her mom calling to her, but wasn’t able to answer. Her family was given a diagnosis right away, but Coelho's mother let her know that it wasn't something she had to share if she didn't want to.
"I know my mom was trying to protect me. That was one of the reasons I never opened up,” Coelho said.
Talking about balancing having epilepsy with her growing career, Coelho says that she worries sometimes people might think she's "a little crazy" or that something was "wrong with her brain" because of her seizures and the medication she's taken to control them since she was a girl.
These are the stigmas about epilepsy that Coelho hopes she can help shatter now.
"I made the decision to talk about it because I really believe that I could help someone. If I help one person, it’s already worth it for me," she said.
With her large following on social media and a successful fashion line, Coelho's announcement has the opportunity to reach many people worldwide. She shared this message in an Instagram post:
I HAVE EPILEPSY, and I am grateful for my life every single day! In honor of #EpilepsyDay I decided to finally open my heart about living with this condition, after keeping it to myself since I was 9. There are over 50 million people globally living with epilepsy, most of whom live a normal life, so we must break the stigma by talking about it. If you have epilepsy, please know you’re not alone and that YOU CAN BE whoever you want to be in this life! Don’t be ashamed (as I was during my teenage years) and don’t let it stop you from going after your dreams. I would love to hear your stories!!!
