Dear friends,

​

     As my friend Epilectra said, welcome to the SEEZ website.  That's SEEZ the nonprofit, not the team of superheroes.  Although if it were up to me, we'd all be acknowledged as superheroes.  Managing a disability can be a challenge, yet we wake up and do it again day after day.  

 

     And for those of us with "invisible" disabilities, there's a frustrating irony with which we contend.  On the outside I look like any healthy, happy 50-something-year-old.  But daily I struggle to keep my blood sugar within reason by wearing an insulin pump and blood sugar monitor on my belly, take numerous pills to keep my various auto-immune illnesses in check and, regardless of how long I've been seizure-free, am constantly in fear that one is lurking.  

​

     Allow me to share a short story with you.  Before moving to New York, I volunteered in the neurology unit at a major Denver hospital.  Most of the patients in the unit had epilepsy and when they learned that I shared that condition with them, they usually expressed shock that I was there on my own. "How can you go out by yourself," they asked me.  "Aren't you afraid?"  I told them that it never occurred to me to be worried about being out alone.  I took public transportation to avoid driving, and I wore a medical ID bracelet "just in case."  

​

     The patients' surprise at my independence made me realize how much they let epilepsy prevent them from fully living their lives.  Of course an epilepsy diagnosis invokes significant challenges.  But there are ways to mitigate them, especially when armed with the necessary information and support. 

​

     So I created SEEZ, which stands for Support & Empower Everyone Zealously.  SEEZ has two identities.  It's the: 

1.  Fictional team of superheroes led by Epilectra who turn their disabilities into super-abilities who ban together to fight evil and make the world a better place and 

2.  Nonprofit with the goal of empowering people with disabilities and their loved ones to live productive and fulfilling lived by providing the necessary resources and support 

​

     This website is the beginning of what I hope will be a larger trend:  A world in which having a disability isn't a roadblock to hopes and dreams, let alone the daily tasks necessary to leading an independent, happy life.  It provides national resources -- from which the local equivalent can easily be determined -- for successful living, including everything from from transportation and education to vocational and emotional aide.  It offers information on role models with disabilities in sports, entertainment, business, and politics, as well as thought-provoking statistics on how prevalent disabilities are in the United States.  Finally, we don't  take ourselves too seriously.  We also a page for smiles and entertainment. 

     

     I hope that SEEZ makes your life's path a little easier, and remember, we're traveling that path together.

​

                                                                 Warmly,

                                                                 

                                                                 

                                                                 

                                                                 Sue Seserman

                                                                 Founder & Executive Director

                                                                 SEEZ

​

​