GREAT BEND, Kan. (KSNW) – November is Epilepsy Awareness Month, the disorder which impacts more than 3 million people in the United States, that's according to the Epilepsy Foundation of Missouri and Kansas. A Kansas woman shares her journey of challenges and triumph, so that others can feel empowered and learn. "The first thing I say is take a breath, quiet The fear voice and just get to know your triggers," said Danielle Ricklefs who lives with Epilepsy. This is Ricklefs' guiding belief. She says her journey with epilepsy has been full of challenges and resilience. she was diagnosed with the disorder 33 years ago, when she was just fourteen. She said, "when it first happened, it started on, I'm not joking, My first day of school, my freshman year of high school." She started a series of treatments, medications and a journey that was anything but straightforward. "Stress is a trigger, but it took us a while to figure that out because we really had no direction. It was the nineties," said Ricklefs. Now, years later, she has learned to cope with triggers for her seizures with the help of her strong support system, her parents and sister and now her husband. She added, "he is so amazing because he approaches it all with a sense of humor and helping me use that as a coping mechanism. And then I have a great group, what I call my seizure safety network." She also loves her dogs who she says help her with anxiety. She says this support system is one of the key reasons she is able to provide "support" to those with similar struggles. "I want someone to know that there are people out there that can help them," said Ricklefs. She added, "I like to meet that with like you have questions or, you know, just try to open up a dialogue." And for life ahead. "My big life plan, is just discover as many interesting things as I can and travel and see as many interesting things as I can, and then just keep moving," said Ricklefs. To learn more, you can visit Epilepsy Foundation of Missouri and Kansas.