Thank you to Kirsty McLachlan of David Godwin Associates who was pivotal in the development of the idea for this book. And to Becky Hardie of Chatto & Windus, who has taught me a great deal and whose hard work has been of endless benefit to the result.
Thanks to my parents who sacrificed a lot to give their children a good education. And to all my family, Eithne, Aileen, Paul, Barry, Oscar, Aisling, Felix, Roisin, Ciara, Chloe, Daniel and Shaun.
I owe a particular debt to the people I have worked with and learned from throughout the last twenty years; specific reference must be given to the neurologists and neurophysiologists of the Meath and Adelaide hospitals and St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin, who inspired me to want to follow in their footsteps. Also to the epilepsy teams of the Royal London Hospital, National Hospital for Neurology, and the Epilepsy Society. Thank you especially to Jenny Nightingale, Adele Larkin, Vicki Kelmanson and Charlie Cockerell, who allowed me to develop my interest in a supportive environment. Special thanks also to the neuropsychiatry teams of each of these hospitals who are a tremendous support to my patients, and to me.
But most of all thank you to my patients. I hope this book will create a better understanding of their plight.