Lee Holztrager's story

I was diagnosed at 13 months of age with pneumococcal meningitis.

I was in a coma for approximately 2 weeks, was given the last rites and my family was braced for my death according to the physicians tending to my needs. 

I was always deaf in my right ear. At the ripe ole age of 35, I had my first grand mal seizure. Six months later I had my 2nd and (so far), my last grand mal. I have several petit mal seizures per year, even to this day. When I was a young boy, I would often "stare" and thought that the trance-like state was normal and everyone had them. The hotter the weather, the easier the petit mals are to be provoked. They last a very short time, 15-30 seconds. 

I have always had excellent eye sight until recent years; I don't wear glasses, but use the "cheater" glasses when reading very close. 

During the investigative research into the reasons for my grand mal seizure at 35, they discovered that my brain has a large scar tissue area, just over my right ear. My right ear is nerve deaf and cannot be corrected with hearing aid devices. 

At times, it feels like my brain gets "hot" when I am in situations of heavy contemplation(s), and trying to think too hard. I don't consider myself a "slow learner" by any means, but I will admit that it does take me longer to grasp things like written directions. But when my wife reads them to me, I do just fine. 

Other than that I am the guy in the picture holding up my father-in-law! My life is good overall; I have a very successful business career and a beautiful family. We have 4 grandkids at this point, and reading up about the long lasting effects of this has been on my mind lately, as I lunge into the final trimester of my life...wondering what may be in store.

Lee Holztrager
January 2015