Having Epilepsy and living on benefits used to get me down as I felt I had no purpose in life but to get from one day to the next. What I did not realize is the answer to my problem of self-worth was calling me from just a mile down the road.

What I found as I looked down that mile was how many I was actually walking. At first I did this walking on my own just so I could fill up my day and make it seem as if I was doing something productive. I would try to keep track in my head of all miles walked, or at least what I thought was walked. I started to turn this into a game so as to see how many could be walked over time. After a while I realized I was that creepy guy walking around the woods by himself. How did I fix this? I got the most wonderful dog in the world, Riggs. Specifically a Dalmatian, as I had always wanted one and I knew this breed of dog was bred to go long distances. Now keeping track of my miles walked was really an exercise in futility as I would guess a lot or use really cheap pedometers that just did not work. Then one day I heard of an app called Map My Walk for smartphones. This app would keep track of all miles and stats through GPS. One problem, I had a dumb phone. As it was close to Christmas my solution was, as any good son will do, to ask my mother for an iPhone.

Well, I got this so-called smart phone, downloaded the app, and off I went with a fury only a nutcase could walk with. January 2nd, 2013, was the first day I recorded my miles and I had set a goal for myself. I would walk 1,000 miles before the end of the year. I will not take you through every mile walked but on October 23rd, 2013 I reached that goal with time to spare.

Now such a small thing may sound insignificant but it was a huge deal for Riggs (My Dog) and I. Especially since it helped me get through one of the hardest years of my life. The hard part is over, I won a case that proved I deserved my benefits but that is another story. However this hard year had a silver lining. Which was when I had won the case a surge of confidence ran through me like something I had never felt before. For the first time I felt unashamed to have Epilepsy and most important unashamed to be on the benefits system.

To the point though, as I have a major tendency to ramble, when I hit that thousand miles I thought what next? Do I just keep walking for no reason till I hit 2,000? Do I just sit back every night and look at the stats I have created and beat over and over? Stats such as mph or distance covered in a certain time frame. What if I could somehow turn this insane walking into something good for not just me and my dog, but others like me with Epilepsy?

I had heard of others walking for charity before, but me? Am I someone who could do such a thing? Why not? Why not at least try? All questions I asked myself while I was out starting my journey to 2,000 miles. I had proven that I could walk the miles as my first 1,000 were well documented on Map My Walk and I had been annoyingly posting them to my Facebook page via their great social media settings. How could I though ask for money from people when I already lived off benefits that their hard-earned taxes pay for?

I will tell you how. Who needs a car? Walking for Epilepsy! A new non-profit organization I would like to start. I told myself that I could ask people to donate a mere penny for every mile that I walked in a month. At the end of each month I would tally my miles and they could pay via whatever method, in this case Just Giving (http://www.justgiving.com/whoneedsacar), with 100% of all pennies raised going to an epilepsy charity

Now think about it. The most miles I have walked in a month is 150. That is harder than it sounds to do, trust me. So if I walk 150 miles that equals out to £1.50 a month from each sponsor. I however do not always walk this many in one month so it could be less or even more. All miles are also kept track of and posted so that I have proof that it has really been done. My app allows you to see a GPS map of where I have walked and how far. However I soon realized that Just Giving would allow a minimum donation of £2.00 and with 150 miles equalling £1.50 this obviously was not enough. This had me discouraged at first, but then my sister had the genius idea of making it 1 cent for me and 1 cent for my dog per mile. This in turn would make 150 miles worth £3.00. Problem solved while keeping the donation small per sponsor.

Now, I know this does not sound like a lot, but start small and grow big. What else do I have to do? They will not let me work nor really can I and I accept that now. I can still however find self-worth and make an impact in this world while also contributing to society. So when a guy in a pub asks this 36-year-old male what he does for a living, I will no longer have to say that I do nothing but live off your tax dollars, while in my head feeling ashamed. I can say I walk for the betterment of people with Epilepsy. I am doing my part and I am damn proud.

A Facebook page is a very simple way to start and eventually I would like to build a website, but that takes time and knowledge. If I wait then things easily get brushed to the side. So this simple page is my way of getting the ball rolling. If I raise 1 penny or 20,000 pennies it all helps and at least I tried. I can do this; I will do this as I have self-worth. Thank you for taking the time to read. This is just a base as I am just starting, but it will grow.

Also I would like people to know that there are challenges with Epilepsy you may not see. This walking is not just a stroll I do with complete enjoyment. Do not get me wrong I do enjoy them, but even though I am able-bodied to walk I still have many petit mal seizures while out in the woods and have had grand malls in the woods where others have had to come and find me. This is not a ploy to make you feel bad for me as that is the last thing I want, but instead a way to help you see that this is a challenge that I face so that maybe you will see the work I do while walking and convince you want to sponsor me and donate. I did not want this to sound like a sales pitch, but if it is what I have to do then so be it.

I must carry medication everywhere I go on these walks for when I start to feel one coming on. This specific medication has a nice little side effect of slowing me down. However, I fight through it and this is a challenge for me so I challenge you to sponsor me and help me get this idea off the ground and in turn help get rid of the stigma attached to epilepsy! I will not let Epilepsy stop me! I will walk! I will help the world I live in! I will do my part! Thanks for your time, Jonathan.