There's almost nothing better in life than having a dream. 

It's the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think about when I go to bed.

It's what drives me.

Keeps me motivated.

Keeps me going.

My dream was to play Division I football for the Auburn Tigers.

War Eagle all the way.

But just like there's nothing better than having a dream, there's nothing worse than having a dream get destroyed.

Especially when I have no control over it.

A kick to the stomach.

A gut-punch.

And just about every emotion imaginable.

That's how I felt when I was told my epilepsy would prevent me from ever playing DI football. I'm a football player. I'm used to taking hits. But this was by far the hardest and most agonizing hit I've ever taken.

Family history

My first experience with epilepsy came when I was around eight years old. It was just me and my grandfather at home. I didn't know what it was at the time, but something was happening to him.

Something bad.

I was scared, so I hid in the closet and called my auntie. She called 911, and they were able to take care of him from there.

I soon discovered that my grandfather was having a seizure.

He had epilepsy. 

Sadly, he passed away around two years later due to his complications with epilepsy and multiple seizures.

Not too long after that, around eighth grade or so, I had my first seizure at school. 

Then another one at the hospital.

Fortunately, I didn't have my next seizure until I was a sophomore in high school. Not so fortunate, after my fourth seizure, they diagnosed me with epilepsy, too.

The crazy thing about seizures is that everyone reacts to them differently. I obviously knew about them from my grandfather, but I don't know when they're happening to me.

When I come out of them, I feel dog-tired and just want to go back to sleep. That's my only indication to know I had one.

So far, I've had about 20 seizures in my life. And I knew epilepsy was going to throw some obstacles my way.

Coming up with a game plan

Like I said, I'm a football player.

Linebacker.

If our defense is struggling, we make adjustments. We come up with a game plan together. 

If I was going to get to the bottom of this epilepsy, I needed to know why these seizures were happening to me.

How I could control them.

So, I made many trips to the Mayo Clinic. Sometimes I'd spend as long as a week there at a time, trying to figure out what was going on.

Is it genetics?

Was there an underlying cause?

They had me do all these different scans and sleep tests and whatnot. 

Then they gave me medication.

Sadly, this only made it worse.

Every time I had a seizure, they upped the dosage. This changed my behavior dramatically – not for the better.

I had wild mood swings, and all my friends told me I was acting like I was bipolar. My concentration levels were all over the place. I couldn't focus on anything, and my grades were slipping.

Finally, when my dad saw the medication wasn't helping, he did some research on various alternatives and discovered CBD oil as a possible solution.

I found my game plan.

Another roadblock

CBD oil changed my life. Once I gave it a try, I went four years being seizure-free. For the first time in a while, I had something I was so desperately searching for.

Hope.

I finally found a solution. But that mountain I was climbing to reach my dreams just got even steeper.

I still remember where I was when the NCAA called my dad and said I wouldn't be able to play DI football. They said I'd never pass a drug test using CBD oil.

To say I was devastated would be an understatement.

I was crushed.

My hope was gone.

I couldn't play for Auburn. I couldn't play in the SEC.

I was mad at myself and mad at the world. 

Like everyone else, I was just a kid with big dreams. How come I wasn't allowed to chase them?

Then it hit me. I'm not like everyone else.

I'm different.

And I was going to use that to my advantage.

Never give up

There was something else I discovered about chasing my dreams. They don't just impact me.

They impact my family.

My friends.

And more importantly, those that are in the same position as me. 

That's why my family and I decided to start a non-profit called Elevating Above Epilepsy. And the thing is, it's not just for battling epilepsy. 

Everyone has their own trials and tribulations they go through every day. This is for them.

This is what I'm all about.

To keep getting back up when the world pushes me down.

Since I couldn't realize my dream of playing for Auburn, I attended a community college to play football. And fortunately, during my time there, I learned about ways to play DI football after all. 

I got confirmation from multiple doctors that the dosage I was using would be below any illegal level and, therefore, not be a drug use violation.

So, I transferred to Arkansas State to fulfill my dream of playing DI football. 

When I was playing against Georgia State last year, a kid came up to me and told me he has epilepsy. And like my situation, he was worried coaches were going to stay away from him and he wouldn't gain any scholarships.

I used this opportunity to tell him to keep doing his thing on the field. Keep his grades up. If he does that, coaches are going to have no choice but to recruit him.

It was amazing. I feel beyond blessed to have my story impact so many people.

And if they can use my story to continue fighting — to keep chasing their dreams — well, that's worth everything in the world to me.

Finding my home

And obviously, I keep chasing my dreams, too.

Now that I got to play at the highest level in college sports, I want to see how far I could take it.

After two years at Arkansas State, I felt like I was a ready for a new challenge — something that would take my game even further.

So, I joined Kent State.

And yes, Kent State isn't Auburn.

It's not the SEC.

But it's home. 

This is where I was meant to be all along. And every roadblock and obstacle I conquered has led me here. 

I'm living proof that you can overcome your obstacles, even when things seem hopeless.

I'm as happy and healthy as I've been in my entire life.

And I'm going to continue to use my story to inspire others. 

And have others inspire me through their stories.

What's funny about dreams is that they don't always turn out the way you expect them to.

Sometimes, just sometimes, they turn out even better.