Campus Pastor Encourages Others

(FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga.)--Pastor, spokesperson, writer, editor, husband, and father. Chris Maxwell is a man of many talents and titles. As Campus Pastor at Emmanuel College, Maxwell routinely speaks in churches, schools and conferences, while mentoring and ministering to a campus community. No one would guess he continues to live with a life-changing illness. An active and personable individual, he finds time to fulfill all the obligations that follow his many titles, while also actively pursuing a desire to reach out and help others with his condition.

Many have read the story of personal health issues in his book, Changing My Mind, as Maxwell describes his battle with encephalitis, brain damage, and epilepsy. Whether he is sharing this journey at conventions, hospitals, or Epilepsy Advocate meetings, Maxwell deems it a privilege to communicate his personal experience with others to provide support. “I see it as an honor to tell the story of my illness to bring encouragement to others,” Maxwell says. “When I speak, I’m able to say things I wish someone had told us when we were first experiencing our life-changing experience.”

According to Dr. Hal S. Pineless, Neurologist at NeuroCare Institute of Central Florida and one of Maxwell’s original neurologists, his capability improvements are remarkable based on his conditions. “I’m still consistently amazed at how much he has overcome,” Pineless says. “Anyone who reads his MRI would be amazed that he is now a public speaker, seeing how his speech center of the brain was badly damaged. He obviously overcame a lot due to his tenacity and ability to will himself back into good health with assistance from the Man upstairs.”

As a man living with epilepsy, Maxwell currently serves as a spokesperson at epilepsy events. As one of the original Epilepsy Advocates – a panel of speakers who live with epilepsy – he has spoken in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kansas, New York, West Virginia, and Washington DC. In addition, he served on the original panel at the UCB base in Atlanta to discuss a plan of including patients and caregivers to bring hope to others with epilepsy. Maxwell also serves as a writer and editor on the editorial board of the Epilepsy Advocate magazine.

As one of the leaders of UCB Pharma says, "Chris was the first Epilepsy Advocate. Even before he became an official ambassador for those with epilepsy, he was a tireless soldier for this underserved cause. Chris spent his own time and resources to publicize the plight of epilepsy patients who couldn't or wouldn't speak for themselves. Through his writing and work in the Epilepsy Advocate program he has single handedly contributed to changing the lives of hundreds of individuals with seizures. People with epilepsy have a champion in Chris Maxwell. He speaks and acts when, due to stigma or social issues, others cannot."

According to Dr. Kore Liow, President and Clinical Professor of Neurology at Hawaii Pacific Neuroscience, Maxwell has provided a deep insight as an epilepsy patient. “I have been so impressed with Chris’ insight into the struggles of epilepsy patients and I invited him to be key note speaker for the 2008 University of Kansas School of Medicine at Wichita Annual Epilepsy Symposium,” says Liow. “His speech was well received by both the academic and lay audience at the symposia.”

Liow describes Maxwell as an inspiration to other patients. “Chris has displayed an unusual combination of humility and compassion,” says Liow. “His talent to put these into words in such a powerful and inspiring manner is both rare and a gift to the academic, scientific and advocacy community for epilepsy.”

Maxwell was first offered a role as spokesperson while writing his book. “I had conversations with leaders from UCB Pharma before I finished writing my book,” Maxwell says. “I asked questions about how much information to include about medications. We began talking about needs I saw in our culture related to epilepsy and I was asked to join a discussion group. Through Snow and Associates, that original discussion eventually turned into Epilepsy Advocate.”

Epilepsy Advocate began in 2006 with 18 supporters. Currently, there are 67 advocates who participated in nearly 100 local events during 2008. To date, more than 350,000 people have visited the organization’s website and more than 100,000 people currently receive Epilepsy Advocate magazine.

There are four major goals set for Epilepsy Advocate to inspire people living with epilepsy, including interacting with other people who have had similar experiences, learning from one another, taking charge to make positive changes in each other’s lives and expecting and demanding the best care.

Epilepsy Advocates host events where individuals share their personal stories about living with epilepsy and local physicians provide information about the disease. Sponsored by global biopharmaceutical leader UCB, it is part of the company’s commitment to families living with epilepsy.

Currently, Maxwell is working on several new projects including podcasts. “A company has asked me to lead a podcast interview with a variety of epilepsy stories,” Maxwell says. “One of the main ones we plan to include is about the number of soldiers returning home from war with traumatic brain injuries. Many of the injuries cause epilepsy. The podcast will come out sometime in November, which is also Epilepsy Awareness Month.”

Maxwell plans to continue this calling to reach out to others facing such similar challenges. His wife Debbie has also joined his endeavors by speaking to share her insight into Chris’ illness.

For more information on Epilepsy Advocate, visit www.epilepsyadvocate.com. To learn more about Chris Maxwell’s personal story, read his book Changing My Mind: A Journey of Disability and Joy or visit www.chrismaxwellweb.com. 

Written by Senior EC Communication Major Lauren Peeples