1966

Hey there....

Some may look at the title of this and ask, 1966???  What is that, what does it mean?  Well, it is me.....
   
    Here in SL, I am known as Firehorse Whiplash, in BrainTalk Communities I am known as Firehorse.  I chose this name for myself about 6 or seven years ago, when I  first found BrainChat, the real time chatrooms that were created by John Lester and MGH Neurology. The name Firehorse is actually from the Chinese calendar, 1966 being the year of the horse, with the element of fire. This was the year of my birth.

    In real life, I am known as David, and I have had epilepsy since the age of nine.  The reason why I have seizures is still a mystery to me and my epileptologist, but is speculated to be due to my being born 10 weeks premature.  When I grew to adulthood, I decided I wanted to pursue a career as a french chef, and spent the next 10 years following that dream only to have it snuffed because the stress involved, was triggering seizures all too often, even once causing me to plunge my hand into a deep fryer. (looking at the scar and grinning)  This emotionally crushed me at the time, and I sought out something like a support group in my area.  Finding none, I decided to start my own.  Within a few months I found myself nervously watching the clock, in anticipation for the 1st meeting to start.  However, before that time came, I found that I was forced to close and lock the door to the meeting place, because it had reached the capacity that the fire codes would allow.  There were people that came from a radius of almost 100 miles.  I thought to myself, this is incredible!  How am I going to deal with this many people in an organized fashion, while meeting their needs, and addressing the issues brought up.  I soon found the challenge to be one that I had a passion for, and in helping others find answers, share common problems, and practicing social skills with others that were "in the same boat," helped me in ways I could never have imagined.

    After almost 2 years of facilitating this group, I was forced to move to a location where I was no longer able to get myself to the meetings, and had no choice but to end that project.  When I discovered BrainChat, I was looking for a way to fill the crevice left in my mind from what I felt was abandoning those I helped that regularly came to the meetings I had started.  BrainChat's Epilepsy chatroom did this for me.  It gave me a way to share the plethora of information and experiences I had accumulated over the years, in an environment that also allowed social interaction. Again, I was thrilled....

    Not long ago, I approached John Lester, introducing myself, and expressed that I would like to be more involved with BrainTalk Communities than just as a member.  After telling me about this project called Brigadoon, I became very interested.  Although I found the virtual world of SL intriguing, I found John's ideas, goals, and hopes for the future of this project fascinating.  When asked if I would like to participate, I could only say, "Of course!" I have always had an interest in other neurological disorders, not only because of my own disability, but having a father that is a neurosurgeon sparked an early curiosity in me.

     When I told my wife about this in detail, she became interested as well on a professional level.  She is a 5th grade teacher, and from time to time deals with children with Asperger's Syndrome and Autism, and hopes to be able to understand better their difficulties, and use this to interact with them more effectively in the classroom.

    I hope over time I can help in a meaningful way as a member of the community, that will enrich the lives of the people involved while satisfying my own passion for helping others.  Right now, I am still very much a neophyte to SL, and am still just learning to get around effectively and make use of the controls.  I've had several computer problems that have been getting in the way.  Right now, SL is telling me that the video card that I have isn't good enough, though just last week I had no problem.   No worries though, I'm confident I will figure this out and be back on Brigadoon, flying, building, and even hoping I may find a way to create some culinary delights that I can at least share visually with the other people in SL....

More to follow as I learn and grow in this virtual world.

Firehorse