Chapter Three, Struck by Lightning: Epilepsy Summary and Analysis

Daniel continues to describe memorable events from his earliest years as though he himself clearly remembers the experience. At the age of four, Daniel suffers a massive epileptic seizure. Daniel describes the event step-by-step, including a digression into the uses and workings of an EEG and a MRI. Daniel also reveals that the seizure deeply affected his father, whose own father had suffered from epileptic seizures, which had caused the break-up of his family. After the seizure, Daniel takes anti-seizure medication and needs extra care for a time. His father tends to him, while his mother seems upset by her oldest sons newest disability. For three years, Daniel continues to take the medication, and his parents watch him extra carefully for any reoccurrences.

Daniel's epileptic incident brings up particularly unpleasant memories...