As a Marine deployed in Afghanistan, Captain Jack Somers was familiar with operating in stealth mode, hidden from enemies. But unbeknownst to him, similarly covert changes were taking root in his brain after a particularly close grenade blast experienced in 2010 while serving overseas. This likely set in motion a cascade of brain changes that announced themselves one month later, in the form of Jack’s first-ever seizure.
But neither Somers — nor his doctors — were aware of his risk at the time. Instead, it seemed as though his first seizure came out of nowhere, at a local Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, soon after completing his Afghanistan tour.