Clearwater Middle School Student Lawrence Fox, 14, dreams of one day becoming an airline pilot which is a little tricky because Lawrence has epilepsy.Thanks to a special work study opportunity, Lawrence is getting a unique perspective on the airline industry, from the mail room. He helps out one morning per week at the Airport Mail Facility, on Kindley Field Road, in St David’s.Staff there were so impressed by his efforts, that they have just made a donation of educational materials to Clearwater Middle School.“One of Lawrence’s ambitions is to be a pilot, but epilepsy is one of the things you can’t have to be a pilot,” said Lawrence’s father, Lawrence Fox Sr. “We are looking at other things to fulfill that kind of dream, even in a school that does offer that type of training or just simulations so he can fulfil part of his dream.”The Fox’s dream is that their son will outgrow epilepsy, as some people do.Lawrence is classified as special needs at Clearwater Middle School because he has some speech and processing challenges. He has a paraprofessional to help keep him on task.Lawrence started out working at the St David’s Post Office, but the office there was too small so he was sent eventually to the Airport Sorting Facility.“He is excited every Wednesday when he does the work,” said Mr Fox.When he returns from his work study at the airport, he writes up everything he learned.The Fox family first noticed Lawrence was having seizures when he was almost four-years-old. He has mainly petit mal seizures which are associated with a fluttering of the eyelids. They can last for up to 15 seconds and are sometimes known as “absence” seizures. Doctors have not been able to find a reason for Lawrence’s condition.“Sometimes it is caused by some kind of trauma, but nothing happened to him,” said Mr Fox.“Sometimes it can be hereditary, but there is no family history that we know of. Sometimes Computer Assisted Tomography (CAT) scans can pinpoint the exact area in the brain where the seizure is happening. If it can be pinpointed they can surgically remove it but they couldn’t pinpoint anything for Lawrence. It has been tough. Most kids outgrow it between 12 and 14-years-old and he is now 14 and we see an improvement.”During his life, Lawrence has had four or five grandmal seizures including a loss of mental consciousness and violent muscle contractions. These seizures were very frightening for his parents to witness. The Foxs found that his grandmal seizures tended to follow a lack of sleep.“If he gets his rest eight to ten hours of sleep, we shouldn’t have a situation like that,” said Mr Fox. “I think it has to do with getting enough rest and oxygen flowing to the brain.”Mr Fox said he and his wife Lisa, only know of a few other children on the Island with epilepsy. Their advice to other parents going through the same thing is make sure the child gets enough rest.“That seems to help,” said Mr Fox.“Spare no expense. See a specialist and see if they can pinpoint areas in the brain where this is happening. Also, be understanding of what the child with epilepsy is dealing with. There have been times because of this illness that Lawrence has been bullied. He is very sociable, but sometimes people make fun. They ask, why are you fluttering your eyes? He has learned to cope.”