University of Minnesota football coach Jerry Kill broke stereotypes working at a high-stakes job with epilepsy, say those living with the disease, and his public efforts to manage his seizures created empathy for their own struggles.
“He’s had a profound impact on my personal life,” said Kim Kindler, a hospice social worker from St. Louis Park. In her first job out of college, Kindler collapsed with a seizure in the workplace in front of colleagues, who didn’t know she had epilepsy. Years later, her epilepsy is under control and she is also more open about it, in part because of Kill.
“So few people in public positions are willing to talk about their epilepsy,” she said. “He is such a positive role model.”
Brett Boyum, board president of the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota and a vice president at Marvin Windows and Doors, noticed that people became more comfortable talking to him about epilepsy after Kill was in the news. It made the disease mainstream. Boyum and his 18-year-old son, Travis, both have the disease.
Patrick Burns, a civil litigation attorney from Golden Valley, said Kill “de-stigmatized” the disease.
“Twenty years ago, there wasn’t an understanding of epilepsy,” said Burns, who was diagnosed in 1997 a week before he started law school and continued his studies against the advice of his dean. “You didn’t want to talk about it. People thought you couldn’t do anything. Then all of a sudden, someone like Coach Kill comes along and says I can do these great things! … His standing out there on the sidelines was the best thing for epileptics.”
Kill resigned from his job Wednesday, saying his health prevented him from doing the job he loved. After a break from the seizures, they had returned.
“He is still my hero,” Burns added. He hopes the public doesn’t draw broad conclusions from Kill’s resignation.
“Most people can control their epilepsy and find the right medication,” he said. “You can have families and jobs and drive a car with epilepsy.”
Between 70 percent and 80 percent of people diagnosed with epilepsy can suppress their seizures, though it often takes experimenting with various medications, and some people experience troubling side effects from the drugs, said Vicki Kopplin, executive director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota, which supports the 66,000 Minnesotans diagnosed with the disease. Stress and sleep deprivation, which Kill mentioned in his resignation speech, can increase the risk of seizures.
“Epilepsy couldn’t stop him from doing what he loves to do,” Kopplin said. “Now, he needs to step back from what he loves. But I don’t think this should discourage anyone. I think they should admire his courage. He achieved his dreams. He was not only a Big Ten coach, but a Big Ten Coach of the Year.”
Maja Beckstrom can be reached at 651-228-5295.
