Diagnosed in May, 11-year-old Riley won't let his condition slow him down

In January, Jess Plumb was watching two of her kids play cards when one of them fell from his chair.

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"Riley's a very happy, cheeky boy," she said. "I thought he was just being silly."

It wasn't until she noticed that Riley was convulsing that she leapt into action.

In May, 11-year-old Riley was diagnosed with epilepsy.

Now, he's eager to prove he can do anything, despite his condition, by running in The Canberra Times Run Canberra on November 1.

11-year-old Riley Plumb, support teacher and mum of 5 Jess Plumb, and 12-year-old Connor Plumb are running in support of Riley after his epilepsy diagnosis. Picture by Karleen Minney

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that causes repeated, unprovoked seizures.

Riley experiences tonic-clonic seizures, which cause a momentary loss of consciousness and can affect his breathing.

His seizures are not triggered by anything and happened at random before he started taking anti-seizure medication.

After his diagnosis, one of Riley's main concerns was whether epilepsy would affect his ability to play sport.

With his parents organising his medication, diet, and hydration, he's been able to operate mostly as normal, and he plans to prove it by running 5 kilometres in November.

Riley Plumb was diagnosed with epilepsy in January, aged ten. Picture by Karleen Minney

Riley's mum, 35, and his older brother, Connor, 12, will be running alongside him.

Ms Plumb, a part-time classroom support teacher, part-time medical imaging student, and full-time mum of five boys, is training to run for the first time in her life.

"I just want to show Riley that, while everyone's epilepsy journey looks different, it doesn't have to define you.

"Maybe you just get to your goals in a different way, but you can still get there. You can cross the finish line."

On November 1, the family team will be running wearing shirts emblazoned with the slogan "Epilepsy Warrior".

Ms Plumb's main goal is just to keep up with her boys, who are active young sportsmen.

Riley, Jess, and Connor Plumb will be running the Canberra Times Run Canberra. Picture by Karleen Minney

Connor caught one of Riley's first seizures before his diagnosis.

"Connor really looks out for him," Ms Plumb said. "He just checks on him, makes sure he's OK, and keeps us in the loop."

It's been a hard period of adjustment for Riley.

"At first I thought there was something wrong with me, but then as I had [epilepsy] for longer, I learned that there's nothing wrong, it's just a bit different."

Training for the run has offered him an opportunity to talk about epilepsy more, as well as assert his ongoing athleticism.

"I'm excited now. I don't know how to explain it, but it's really nice to have all these people supporting me, even my friends who didn't know just what I was going through."

Ms Plumb said that Riley has "shown so much strength".

After his diagnosis, he asked his mum if he "would ever feel like [himself] again".

She promised to fight to make sure he can still live life however he wants to.

"As it turns out, that includes training to be a runner."