Coelho knew his constituents needed a champion. “They need someone who will fight for them. That’s an important part of the job. I’ve always felt very strongly about that.” But that wasn’t the only goal. Now, he was finally in a position to make a difference for people with epilepsy and other disabilities. He set to work on involving himself in the process of getting laws passed.

“I thought from day one that it was important to use my podium (of a congressional seat) to make a difference on disabilities,” he said. “And so I started as a freshman member to get involved with amendments to bills, speaking up and strategizing to get bills passed.”

Only a short time passed before Coelho’s involvement started to make a difference. Invited to give the keynote address at the 1979 Epilepsy Foundation National Conference, Coelho told the audience: “I will be an advocate for legislation that will help.

I am committed to this cause and while I can’t promise miracles, I do pledge that my office and I will do the best we can.” In 1982, Coelho became a member of the Epilepsy Foundation’s Board of Directors.

It didn’t take long before Coelho was testifying before House and Senate committees to seek increased funding for epilepsy research and ensure the rights of people living with epilepsy. He always identified himself as a person with epilepsy.

“I was very open about my epilepsy from day one. I felt that if I had a seizure in front of people, well, that’s just the way it is. Life is all attitude,” Coelho said. “What counts is how you deal with what you’ve been dealt.

“I thought I could be effective regardless of my disability,” he continued. “My disability, to a great extent, has made me a stronger person. I’ve tried not to look at it from a negative point of view. My philosophy on life has been that people can never reject me as much as I’ve already been rejected. I don’t mind being told no—it just makes me try harder.”

Coelho’s successes are so striking that some people might feel they are out of reach in their own lives. “It doesn’t mean that everyone can be a congressman. But it does mean that you can be a success in whatever you’re doing. And it does mean that you can be a positive influence no matter who you are,” he continued.

Sometimes, even the setbacks have their benefits. “I was born and raised in a town of 2,000 people. I lived on a dairy farm. If my parents had accepted the doctor’s diagnosis, I probably would have been drugged up and never would have done anything,” Coelho admitted.

“They would have loved me in a way that would have restricted me. I probably would have never gone away to college. “But because they didn’t tell me about my epilepsy,” he concluded, “they were never able to prevent me from trying to succeed.”

After Coelho was elected to Congress, it didn’t take long for him to emerge as a leader of his party. He served as Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 1981 to 1986 and then as Majority Whip in the House from 1987 to 1989. He also served in senior positions on the Agriculture, Interior and Administration Committees during his years in Congress.