When she was 50, Sue Seserman, of Denver, had three grand mal seizures in a row. She was diagnosed with epilepsy. In short order, Seserman found comfort in visiting others newly diagnosed with the condition.
“I heard a lot of their stories and, sadly, a lot of their stories were about the things they didn’t do because of their disability,” said Seserman.
The pandemic hit and Seserman couldn’t volunteer anymore.
“So I did a lot of thinking about these patients and I thought, ‘What can I do to change their frame of mind from one of ‘I can’t do that’ to one of ‘I can?,’” she said.
Epilectra was born. A superhero with epilepsy.
Seserman teamed up with former Disney illustrator Jayme Brown to create a graphic novel series named for her new character.
“I think she has great appeal, not just to people with disabilities, but to a much larger audience as well,” Seserman said.
Epilectra’s origin story begins during a Thanksgiving storm. She and her brother Logan are struck by lightning. The strike leaves her with epilepsy and him with paralysis. And both with superpowers.
Epliectra can channel electricity for good. Logan, an engineer, becomes a savant. The beginnings of a superhero league.
“And yes, people can’t send electricity out through their fingertips,” Seserman added. “But people with disabilities do have amazing super abilities. Maybe they have more empathy or more understanding or they have more sensitivity.”
Seserman thinks of the new series as “edutainment.”
Readers learn about diabetes, as well, which Seserman also has. Towards the end of the first book in the series, a character named Insulator comes onto the scene.
“She has Type 1 diabetes and she’s very proud to wear a belly shirt that shows off her insulin-delivering devices,” explained Seserman.
“The book series really has two missions: One is disability empowerment and the other is stigma elimination,” she said. “Stigma, I believe, is a result of ignorance and fear.”
One way Seserman suggests people break through their ignorance, once they’ve put the book back on the shelf, is to take seizure first aid training.
“Many teachers and many individuals are CPR-trained,” Seserman noted, “People should also be seizure-trained, which is a very easy thing to accomplish.”
You might just end up feeling like a superhero yourself.
A launch event for the comic Epilectra will be held Thursday, Aug. 8 at The Access Gallery in Denver. More information here.
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