When Tracey Croisier was five years old, she began having seizures.
Her family was living in Taiwan. By the time she was nine, they had moved back to the United States. Her parents took her to a doctor. He explained to the family that her condition, epilepsy, was so severe it would prevent Tracey from ever driving, holding a job or living independently.
And then the expert added that she should never have kids.
So for the next two decades, Tracey built her life around that reality, taking daily anticonvulsants and eventually having her fallopian tubes cauterized to permanently prevent pregnancy.
Four months later, she found out the original diagnosis of epilepsy had been wrong all along.
This story was originally broadcast as part of Sound Effect, a weekly tour of ideas, inspired by the place we live.
