21 minute read
HEALTHY MIND
WELLNESS
Faces of epilepsy
Two brave women refuse to let their condition put a damper on life.
STORY: JAMES COMBS
pproximately 3.4 million people in the U.S. live with epilepsy, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. Depending on what part of the brain seizures originate from, patients can experience symptoms ranging from falling to the ground in convulsions, to falling into an unconscious state. an unconscious state. Fortunately, with correct diagnosis Fortunately, with correct diagnosis and treatment, most patients can live a and treatment, most patients can live a normal life. normal life. Just ask Heather Knorr and Emma Just ask Heather Knorr and Emma Ethington, Lake County residents who Ethington, Lake County residents who were both diagnosed with epilepsy at were both diagnosed with epilepsy at an early age. “Seizures are terrible. I’m an early age. “Seizures are terrible. I’m fatigued. I get bad headaches. I sleep fatigued. I get bad headaches. I sleep for a day or two afterward. It feels like for a day or two afterward. It feels like you’ve run a marathon because every you’ve run a marathon because every muscle contracts at the same time muscle contracts at the same time during a seizure. It’s mentally and during a seizure. It’s mentally and physically draining,” Heather says. physically draining,” Heather says. While the unpredictable disease While the unpredictable disease has brought hardships for has brought hardships for both, Heather and Emma have both, Heather and Emma have learned to live each day with a learned to live each day with a grateful heart and refuse to let epilepsy get in the way grateful heart and refuse to let epilepsy get in the way of bettering themselves. of bettering themselves.
Not when his mother unexpectedly fell to the ground. Not when she began shaking uncontrollably. Not when she failed to respond to his pleas to wake up.
He did what he was taught to do in the event his mother, Heather Knorr, had an epileptic seizure.
MEET HEATHER
Four-year-old Liam Worfel never panicked.
Not when his mother unexpectedly fell to the ground. Not when she began shaking uncontrollably. Not when she failed to respond to his pleas to wake up.
He did what he was taught to do in the event his mother, Heather Knorr, had an epileptic seizure. The boy grabbed his mother’s cell phone, called his grandmother and described what was happening. His grandmother called 911, and within minutes paramedics arrived at Heather’s home.
Days later, the City of Mount Dora awarded Liam’s heroic actions.
“I’m fortunate he was so brave in that situation,” Heather says. “However, it doesn’t seem fair that my son had to see me in that condition.”
Life hasn’t always been fair since Heather was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 13. The condition triggers a severe type of seizure known as tonic-clonic, which cause sudden surges of electrical activity in her brain. She drops to the ground, endures painful muscle spasms and loses consciousness.
Throughout the years, Heather’s seizures have struck at the most inopportune times: shopping in a grocery store, attending church, jogging on hiking trails and during work.
She has limited time to react and safely position herself.
“Thirty seconds before a seizure strikes, I feel an aura, which I describe as an out-of-body experience,” says Heather, a 25-year-old Leesburg resident. “I get a strange taste in my mouth and feel like I’m no longer in control of my body. I do my best to lay down on my left side and try to protect my head. If anyone is around me. I try to alert them.”
Sometimes, there is no warning. Heather falls fast and hard, which has resulted in whiplash, popping her jaw out of socket and hitting her head. A postictal state – where she loses consciousness for several minutes – follows each seizure.
“Being in the postictal state means I’m not tense anymore but I’m not awake,” she says. “I stare into space and I’m non-reactive.”
—HEATHER KNORR
Heather Knorr and sons Liam and Sebastian
For Heather, epilepsy has come with a hefty price – a price not limited to frequent doctor visits and two medications she takes daily to suppress electrical impulses in her brain. There was a time when she went three years without driving and endured low self-esteem.
“I lived a very fearful life. I didn’t like going places. I would stay in my apartment because I was obsessed about the awful things people would think about me if they saw me having a seizure. On top of all the mental issues, it’s frustrating not being able to drive.”
Then came the day she su ered a seizure at her doctor’s o ce. It was a blessing in disguise. She left his o ce with a lifechanging outlook.
“I walked out of the room crying,” she recalls. “Another epilepsy patient approached me and said epilepsy is not a death sentence. I realized I have to live my life.”
Living life started with making lifestyle changes. Adequate sleep, healthy eating and regular exercise became a part of her daily routine. Being de cient in any of those areas can trigger seizures.
“Not sleeping well pretty much guarantees I’m going to have one,” she says. “I also have to eat in a healthy manner because if my blood-sugar level is o I will likely have a seizure. I run three to four times a week to keep myself in the best shape possible.”
Rather than remaining mostly homebound, Heather became more engaged in life. She currently coaches her son’s soccer team and leads a Wednesday night youth group at Heritage Community Church in Fruitland Park.
Living healthy and maintaining a positive attitude has paid big dividends. Heather hasn’t su ered a seizure since January 2020 and she’s driving again. Under Florida law, epilepsy patients must be seizure-free for six months to regain driving privileges.
Soon, she’ll earn the proud title of college graduate. Heather is only a few courses short of graduating with a psychology degree from the University of Central Florida. Unfortunately, she had to drop out last spring when the coronavirus forced her to homeschool her children.
“Psychology is a very interesting eld that will allow me to help other people who are struggling,” she says.
Heather is familiar with life struggles. But she promises life doesn’t have to be an ongoing struggle for epilepsy patients.
“Don’t be afraid of telling other people what accommodations you need. Don’t be afraid to talk about it because it’s not a taboo topic. There are people who will be loving, supportive and accommodating to help you live a full life.”
MEET EMMA Emma Ethington, 17, enjoys all the volunteer opportunities that came with being crowned Teen Miss Umatilla in 2020.
However, her true crowning achievement in life is being an advocate for epilepsy.
At age 6, Emma was diagnosed with benign Rolandic epilepsy, the most common form of childhood epilepsy. The condition causes nighttime twitching of her legs, arms and head.
“I can’t walk after a seizure; it’s like partial paralysis,” says Emma, a junior at Umatilla High School. “I feel fatigued because seizures take so much out of you. One time at night I was having a seizure and saw my mom standing in the hallway. I was screaming as loud as I could for her to help but nothing was coming out of my mouth. I felt trapped because I had no control of my body.”
She discovered that epilepsy wreaks havoc beyond physical symptoms.
“When I was in elementary school, I sometimes felt isolated because nobody understood what I was going through and I was too young to explain it. Nobody else at my school had epilepsy and really had no idea what epilepsy is.”
As a result, Emma set out on a personal journey to raise awareness and educate people about her condition. When she was 10, Emma wrote a book titled “I am Special” to help students better understand epilepsy through words, pictures and illustrations. The book is unpublished.
During Disability Awareness Month in October, Emma read the book to her classmates on her school’s morning television program.
“For me, that was a big opportunity and I took it,” Emma says. “Even as a young girl, I realized that epilepsy isn’t a secret that you want to keep. You have to make a di erence through public awareness.”
Emma didn’t stop there. She became active in the Epilepsy Association of Central Florida, an Orlando-based organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of epilepsy patients. She has volunteered at numerous fundraisers, including 5k runs, as well as special events like Purple Day at Walt Disney World. Purple is the international color representing epilepsy awareness.
Her volunteerism turned Emma into a temporary star. At age 10, she was chosen to appear in a television commercial for George Nahas Chevrolet, which conducts an annual fundraising
—EMMA ETHINGTON
golf tournament for the Epilepsy Association of Central Florida.
“That was so cool,” she recalls. “I felt like a superstar.”
Emma was also a star last March when the organization invited her and three other girls with epilepsy to serve on a special panel. A crowd of 250 people packed a ballroom inside Disney’s Contemporary Resort to ask the girls questions about life with epilepsy.
“That was nerve-racking because I didn’t know what they were going to ask,” she says. “They ended up asking us about school, how our friends deal with us and things like that. I felt good telling people about epilepsy and answering any question they had.”
Emma has organized her own fundraisers for the Epilepsy Association of Central Florida. Working with the Bay Street Players in Eustis, she sold tickets, collected donations for a silent auction and baked treats for the premiere of Peter Pan. She raised $3,000.
“I love knowing that my e orts can help others who battle epilepsy,” she says. “I want other patients to know that epilepsy does not have to hold you back in life.”
It certainly hasn’t slowed down Emma. The tenacious girl competes on Umatilla High’s tennis and bowling teams and serves as vice president of both her junior class and Future Farmers of America (FFA). She has appeared in 40 shows put on by the Bay Street Players, including “Into the Woods,” “Annie,” and “Guys and Dolls.”
She is equally talented in pageants, winning the titles of Tiny Miss Umatilla in 2008 and Teen Miss Umatilla in 2020. Though she’s proud of her past accomplishments, she has her sights set on the future. Emma plans on attending the University of Central Florida and earning a degree in communications.
“She’s amazing,” says Emma’s mother, Kim. “When she puts her mind to doing something there’s no stopping her. She pushes through her condition and keeps going.”
Most importantly, she moved beyond her pity party many years ago.
“Dealing with this was hard at rst, but then I realized I have this condition because God wants me to help other people,” says Emma, a member of First Baptist Church of Umatilla. “There was de nitely a purpose.”
Epilepsy hasn’t knocked Emma down.
Instead, it has helped her lift many others up.
Keep up to $ Keep up to $
in your pocket per year! in your pocket per year!
$for hearing aids$ for hearing aids $ for OTC$ for OTC $250 for eyewear $250 for eyewear FREE SilverSneakers® fitness program FREE SilverSneakers® fitness program $2,050 per year $2,050 per year
Florida Blue’s Medicare plans fit your Lifestyle and BUDGET. Florida Blue’s Medicare plans fit your Lifestyle and BUDGET.
With the BlueMedicare Premier (HMO) plan you get benefits that may With the BlueMedicare Premier (HMO) plan you get benefits that may save you money such as: save you money such as:
$ $ allowance for each hearing aid – 2 per year – that’s up to $ , allowance for each hearing aid – 2 per year – that’s up to $, yearly savings yearly savings $ $ over-the-counter (OTC) allowance every 3 months – that’s up to $ over-the-counter (OTC) allowance every 3 months – that’s up to $ yearly savings yearly savings $ $ yearly eyewear allowance yearly eyewear allowance Plus a free SilverSneakers® fitness program membership with access to an MVP Athletic Plus a free SilverSneakers® fitness program membership with access to an MVP Athletic Club location. Even more savings per year! Club location. Even more savings per year!
Call today to see how you can start saving Call today to see how you can start saving
Palm Ridge Plaza • 1-352-259-0666 Palm Ridge Plaza • 1-352-259-0666
11962 CR101, The Villages, FL 32162 11962 CR101, The Villages, FL 32162
Golf Cart Accessible
Colony Plaza Colony Plaza 1-352-775-1129 1-352-775-1129 1-352-433-0691 Pinellas Plaza Pinellas Plaza 1-352-775-0991 1-352-775-0991 1-352-729-5592
Also located in the Resource Centers at The Villages Health and in Brownwood® Also located in the Resource Centers at The Villages Health and in Brownwood® 352-391-9017 352-391-9017
Your Local Agency in The Villages® Your Local Agency in The Villages® Community for over a decade! Community for over a decade!
Welcome to
Water Oak
A Lady Lake paradise residents are proud to call their own.
PAID PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
Water Oak Front Entrance
f you’re 55-plus and looking for a beautiful, serene, but activity- lled, convenient, and friendly place to live, look no farther than Water Oak Country Club Estates – a beautiful, gated community in Lady Lake that boosts reasonably priced and quality luxury residences to call home. Not only that, this pet-friendly neighborhood is close enough to satisfy all the conveniences of The Villages area but distant enough for peace and quiet to overshadow all the hustle and bustle.
Water Oak Sales Manager, Mel Ferioli, says, “The homes at Water Oak are conveniently located, but also very a ordable in comparison to other retirement communities in the surrounding area and it’s a great place for people to start that next wonderful chapter of their lives.”
Water Oak Country Club is a perfect t for anyone who wants to take advantage of all the shopping, dining, and entertainment options that The Villages area o ers, but would like to live where it’s slower-paced, relaxing, and to just enjoy life at their own speed. Water Oak residents enjoy an active lifestyle with an abundance of several special interest clubs and activities to participate in. “Our residents can be as busy as they want, or be as reserved as they want, it’s really up to them. Our community’s atmosphere allows them to enjoy both,” says Mel.
Water Oak is a 55-plus manufactured home community and has been in the Lady Lake area since the early 1980s. Acquired in 2005, it is one of Sun Homes Communities, Inc. agship properties across the U.S. and has ourished ever since. They’ve invested in expansion with additional lots and updated the resortlike amenities. Residents are captivated by the picturesque community with over 300 acres of rolling hills, trees, and lakes combined with an 18-hole championship golf course, walking paths, a three-story clubhouse, and more.
Water Oak’s central Florida location is also very favorable to its residents with an abundance of tantalizing Florida attractions nearby. Several irresistible destinations are just a short drive away whether they want to experience Florida’s beaches, or visit one of the several world-famous attractions like Disney World, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens or SeaWorld. The ease of access to the interstates and highways allows for short day trips to either coast to enjoy and take it all in.
The vibe
Another top bene t of living at Water Oak is: “the amazing, amazing people,” says Mel. With that, Mel describes the signature “Water Oak Wave” everyone uses as a mutual greeting between each other and calls it heart-warming. “Everybody acts like a family here. They back each other up, they wave constantly to each other and if anyone is in need, they are right there supporting them,” Mel adds.
Ken and Donna Garren, Water Oak residents as of May 2019, say when they were considering neighborhoods to move into, they were thrilled with the amenities Water Oak o ers, that also provided ease of accessibility when it came to shopping, dining, quality medical care and the value of their home, but what sealed the deal was the non-material bene ts.
Donna said from the moment they began looking in Water Oak, they sensed genuine warmth all the way around. She said they were immediately taken by the community’s welcoming feel exuding from residents and the entire sta .
“One thing I like here better than some of the other communities we looked at is that the homes here are not so close together, so we have space but what we like best are the people here. We love riding around in our golf cart and how everybody waves at each other,” Donna says. “We have awesome neighbors and before COVID, we had get-togethers all the time. I have not met anyone we don’t like; it’s just a really nice neighborhood and there are lots of activities and fun people. If you’re not doing something or making friends, it’s because you don’t want to.”
Haven Bay Model
Amenities
Water Oak o ers every resort-style living activity imaginable available for its residents – including tennis, billiards, arts and crafts, quilting, shing, shu eboard, softball, basketball, volleyball, bocce ball, and pickleball – and the clubhouse amenities are plentiful.
With two clubhouses on-site, the resort-like community ensures the best when it comes to swimming and sunbathing poolside or keeping t at the gym and staying entertained. There is also a restaurant, a championship golf course (discounted for residents), and a pro shop on site.
Not only that, but there are no amenity fees to worry about and an optional $20-per-year home-owners association membership to consider.
Additionally, the community’s ownership arrangement means more money in residents’ pockets, plus general maintenance and lawn care are included.
“We are a land-lease community, which means you own the home and lease the land that it sits on, so you’re able to put all your money into your home, which
tends to be $100,000 to $200,000 less than if you were to build a stick-built home where you have to purchase the land, the home,” Mel says.
She adds, “People pay a monthly lot rent, but with that, they have a gated community, 24-hours-a-day, seven-daysa-week, and there are no additional amenities fees like you would have to pay in a lot of communities around here. We also pay the majority of all the property tax and the only household tax a resident would pay is about $632 for the whole year and that includes your emergency services and garbage pick-up.”
Admiral II Model Main Club House
A home to make your very own
There is a home at Water Oak for every budget, including pre-owned, newer, and bigger homes with lavish features and other quaint choices. Most residents can live comfortably under $1,000 per month excluding a mortgage payment.
Additionally, standard features in a home at Water Oak – like crown molding, LED lighting, vinyl plank ooring, window xtures, appliances, ceiling fans, a porch or lanai, double carports, and more – are included features that in other communities may cost extra.
And besides that, a new home buyer has the ability to customize anything they can imagine. A multitude of specialty options includes open oor plans, tray and co ered ceilings, fully equipped kitchens, spa tubs, and Roman tiled showers, upgraded landscaping, large walk-in closets, modern decorative accents, and much more.
Water Oak also o ers new home buyers the ability to choose their countertops, ooring, paint colors, and shingle colors. The design team can alter many features such as move walls and closets; they can literally modify their new home any way that they want. Water Oak has four beautiful model homes to view options, plus several di erent oor plans and styles to customize the perfect place to live. If we can nd the lot a resident likes, all they have to do is nd something that ts their needs and we make it happen for them in the most beautiful and e cient way possible.
Here and yet to come
Over this past summer, locals may have noticed the community’s main entrance underwent a massive makeover that bid farewell to the look it once had. Our residents and future home buyers are now welcomed home by lighted waterfalls, with stone and leaf-inspired accents, which also includes an updated sales center and a new administration building.
A future expansion, planned for January, will see approximately 260 new home sites to accompany the 1,200 already residing at Water Oak. With that, new and current residents will enjoy a brand-new recreation facility to feature a huge pool with its own beach entrance and cabanas, plus repits, horseshoe pits, a bar and refreshment area, and rooftop seating.
John Ebert, who with his wife Barbara, has lived at Water Oak since July, says he cannot wait for the new amenities, although they’ve barely had a chance to savor existing o erings.
“The amenities that come along with the rent, if you will, are wonderful and the facilities accommodate many residents at one time. There are all kinds of activities, and if you can’t nd something to do, I don’t know where you can go, because Water Oak has everything,” John says.
No room for the “t” word
One thing the sales team notices is that a lot of people worry when they hear
Golf Course
Cape Coral Model
the words, “manufactured homes,” but Mel and her team can overcome these concerns.
“Some people still have that ‘trailer’ mentality, but we have gone way beyond that. They’re not trailers anymore. They are actually really well-built, energy-e cient homes,” Mel says. “Ever since Hurricane Andrew, all the standards changed and so our homes are made to withstand anywhere from 130-150 mph winds.”
The main builders Sun Homes primarily work with for Water Oak, are Palm Harbor and Skyline, known as two of the very best manufacturers in the industry. Additionally, all Water Oak homes are built to be extremely energy e cient, adding high-grade insulation in the ceilings, walls, and oors, including double-paned windows and LED lighting throughout. This allows for cost savings overall on electricity usage and with heating and air conditioning the home.
“Live the dream and have it all,” says a Water Oak brochure. And that, Ken and John add, is what they and their wives plan on doing for a long time to come.
“What makes Water Oak unique to us is that it’s a perfect balance here. You have all the amenities, in a beautiful community with lots of trees and wildlife, but you also have all the conveniences of having doctor’s o ces, restaurants, shopping centers and more basically within 10 minutes of here,” says Ken.
John adds: “The entire facility, with all the amenities, and the atmosphere of an almost resort-like place is what we thought would be a really wonderful place to live and we were absolutely right.”
If you are looking for that perfect, a ordable retirement home o ering an all-inclusive resort-like lifestyle, look to the very best in manufactured home communities in Florida at Water Oak. Envision your next chapter of life lled with enjoyment and lasting new friendships and fall in love with Water Oak.
Bistro Restaurant
877.363.7553 / wateroakcountryclub.com / 106 Evergreen Lane, Lady Lake
Hops are hip at Wolf Branch Brewing Company.
menu
FOOD. DRINKS. REVIEWS.
