MY STORY
From Epilepsy and Fear to Faith, Purpose & Service
My name is Michael Craig.
I was born with epilepsy.
For much of my life, seizures were something I learned to live with. There were medications, uncertainty, fear, setbacks, and questions about what my future would look like.
Epilepsy affected far more than my health. It shaped how I experienced life and taught me how quickly circumstances can change.
But my story is not ultimately a story about epilepsy.
It is a story about survival, faith, second chances, and purpose.
Fear → Survival → Recovery
THE JOURNEY
One Decision Changed Everything.
UCSF — AWAKE BRAIN SURGERY
August 12, 2025
One of the defining moments of my life.
After decades of living with epilepsy, my journey eventually brought me to UCSF, where doctors performed extensive testing to understand where my seizures were originating.
On August 12, 2025, I underwent awake brain surgery.
I was literally awake while surgeons operated on my brain and tested important functions, including language.
It became one of the defining moments of my life.
The surgery was not the end of the journey.
Recovery brought new challenges.
I experienced significant difficulties with speech and language and spent months working to regain abilities that I had once taken for granted.
Every word mattered. Every improvement mattered. Every day became another opportunity to move forward.
And through everything, I began to realize something: I had been given a second chance.
Faith → Gratitude → Purpose
FINDING GOD
Fear Began Giving Way to Faith.
During this journey, my relationship with God changed.
Fear began giving way to faith. Uncertainty began giving way to gratitude.
Instead of only asking why, I began asking a different question.
That question changed the direction of my life.
I began praying daily, strengthening my faith, and looking at my survival differently.
Maybe surviving was not the end of my story. Maybe it was the beginning of another chapter.
"Why did this happen to me?"
"What am I supposed to do with the life I have been given?"
AWAKE — MY STORY
WATCH MY STORY
AWAKE
A Memoir of Epilepsy, Survival, and Finding Peace After Fear
"Sometimes surviving changes what you believe your life is for."
Gratitude → Purpose → Service
WHY ANGELMICHAEL.ORG EXISTS
Turning Gratitude Into Service.
After everything I experienced, I began thinking more about what it means to truly serve another person.
AngelMichael.org is about turning gratitude into service.
It exists to encourage people who may be experiencing fear, uncertainty, loss, major life changes, or moments when they simply need someone to care.
It is not about pretending that suffering is easy.
Show up.
Listen.
Help.
Pray.
Serve.
And remind another human being: You matter.
A SECOND CHANCE
I Was Given a Second Chance.
I cannot change what happened during the first part of my life.
I cannot change the seizures. I cannot change the fear. I cannot change the surgery.
But I can decide what I do with the life I have now.
I was given another opportunity to wake up, walk outside, play golf, spend time with the people I love, pray, laugh, tell my story, and help someone else.
That is something I never want to take for granted.
I was given a second chance.
Now I want to use it to serve others.
— Michael Craig
A NEW PURPOSE
A Second Chance Can Become a New Purpose.
Faith • Hope • Service • Compassion