Golden Light Awards

This award recognizes young people who have epilepsy and/or have made an impact on the lives of those who do. ROW was excited to learn that Sophie Nabukenya of Uganda was one of the 19 recipients.

Sophie is a volunteer with the Purple Bench Initiative (PBI), a close partner of ours. PBI’s founder Nina Mago was a 2019 IBE Golden Light Award winner and says of Sophie: “Sophie is an intelligent and strong young lady that I am delighted to have on our team. Her unique experiences and positive outlook encourage other young people to dig deep and realize that they too can achieve while having an impact on others.”

Sophie had seizures throughout her childhood. She didn’t understand what seizures were or what caused them. Nor did her mother, teachers, or classmates. She remembers being ridiculed by children at school and in the neighborhood, which led to her feeling isolated and different. Sophie was taken to an herbalist to, “bring out the bad things she might have unknowingly consumed as a toddler.” She was also taken to multiple healers but the seizures continued. A breakthrough happened when a test at a hospital indicated Sophie had epilepsy (a word she had not heard before) and needed anti-seizure medication. This medication has greatly reduced her seizures, although it has not stopped them altogether.

Sophie is bright and motivated and went on earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Development Studies and a Postgraduate Diploma in Project Planning and Management. She enjoys writing poems and articles and has skills in sewing and jewelry making. Sophie volunteers to help others with epilepsy. Her dream is for “the whole world to understand that epilepsy is a disease like any other. People living with it are not bewitched, demon-possessed, or insane. They can achieve all their goals if they adhere to their medication, stop pity-parties, work hard, and believe in themselves.”