Jack Somers

At 25 years old, Jack Somers had already been to seven foreign countries, serving military deployments as far away as Afghanistan. Yet while participating in a turkey trot in his hometown, he suddenly had no idea where he was or why he was running. This was Jack’s first absence seizure, with several more to follow in the next few months.

In 2012, Jack began experiencing tonic-clonic seizures that knocked him to the ground – forcing him to medically retire from his beloved career as an infantry officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He struggled to embrace his new identity, passing through various careers before opening up about his struggles.

Jack’s doctors weren’t sure what caused his epilepsy, but they put him on medication to control his seizures. As his symptoms continued, however, doctors began increasing his medications. He knew something wasn’t right when he began having trouble focusing and feeling lethargic every day.

After completing a seizure study in the hospital, Jack was taken off some of his medications and has been on a normal dose of his remaining prescriptions for several years. He has had a few minor absence seizures since but is doing better and feels more in control. Jack is grateful for the work CURE Epilepsy is doing to find a cure for PTE.

Learn more about Jack’s story in our Fall 2022 ReSearching to CURE Epilepsy or our Seizing Life episode where he appeared as a guest.