Her seizures come early in the morning. This Blyth, Ont., bakery lets her keep doing what she loves

Karen Middleton-Meadham was still an apprentice when she started experiencing morning seizures eight years ago. Concerned she'd have to leave an industry she loved — one that rises with the sun — she moved to a tiny village to open her own bakery. 

The result was Brød Bread & Pastry, which she and husband Gerrit Sepers opened in Blyth, Ont., north of London, in November of 2021. It can close at a moment's notice. The couple has the notes to prove it, scribbled on wax bags and scraps of paper that say, "Closed due to epilepsy."

According to Epilepsy Canada, more than 400,000 Canadians live with the neurological disorder, which can cause sudden, uncontrolled bursts of electrical activity in the brain. They can result in a range of behaviour changes, movements and levels of losing consciousness.

Owning the bakery gives the couple the freedom to design it around Karen's needs. 

"We have the ability to lock the door remotely and have Karen in a safe space, like on the couch while she's going through an episode," said Sepers. "It's a very private thing, having a seizure."

Other features include special matting on floors, "so that if I should fall or if I need to lay down, I can do so without harming myself," she said. 

Sepers has taken on learning to bake, as another way to keep Brød open when his wife needs help. She's entrusted him with a cherished secret: a 100-year-old lemon cake recipe developed by her great-grandfather, a pastry chef. 

"It's arguably it's the best thing that he makes right now," she said. 

For Middleton-Meadham, operating the bakery has given back her confidence. 

"I feel that epilepsy is the thief," she said. "It takes so much from you."

The seizures seemed to come out of nowhere as an adult, but she believes she's had them her whole life. 

"They were at night and I was alone in my bed, so they went unnoticed and the symptoms of them, like anxiety and various struggles, presented as severe mental health [problems]," she said. 

"Bakers get up at obscene hours," she said. "Proper sleep is really important for epilepsy. So when you're waking up at two o'clock in the morning, you're not getting good, restful sleep," she said. 

With the bakery's flexible hours, however, "I can provide people with what I love, but in a safe environment with the people that I love. It's really amazing and special thing."