A Storm in the Brain!

I’m sure y’all are thinking that this is a humorous post, as I often joke about having brain storms.  However, this is a very serious post and one that is near and dear to my family.  This is a follow-up to Kate’s Story.

Kate has asked that I give an update and to once again ask you to help us help those with seizure disorder.

Kate has recently graduated from college and is now certified by the State of Indiana to teach science.  She is currently looking for a position in Indiana for the upcoming school year.   She has remained seizure free for two years and was recently given a years reprieve from her neurologist.   

Very recently, one of my readers sent me the April 20, 2009 issue of Newsweek.  The cover story of this issue is The Mystery of Epilepsy, Why We Must Find A Cure.  The article was an excellent read and one that pulled at my heartstrings as a mother of a child with Epilepsy.  I was completely taken aback by the stark and sobering statistics that I wrote about last year.  The statistics on one year have grown amazingly fast.

• Epilepsy in America is as common as breast cancer and takes as many lives
• Up to 50,000 Americans die each year from seizures and related causes, such as drowning
• One in 10 people will suffer a seizure in their lifetimes
• Between 1 and 3 percent of the population will develop some form of epilepsy before age 75
• Public and Private funding for epilepsy research ($35/patient) lag far behind those of Alzheimer’s ($129/patient) and multiple sclerosis ($280/patient)

To quote the article, “Most people with epilepsy are not in a constant state of seizure – they are, rather, in perpetual but quiet danger.”

For the fourth year now, I will be walking along with Kate, her friends, and the rest of our family, in a 5-K walk to support the Epilepsy Foundation of Kentuckiana on June 20th.  The Epilepsy Walk is in memory of Heather R. Macy, a young girl who passed away on January 29, 2004 from a seizure.  We have been lucky in that we have not had to take advantage of the programs and services that the Foundation affords.  However, that may change this year.  Kate and I have discussed what might happen if she does not find a job and is removed from the family health insurance plan.  Her anti-seizure medications are over $400 a month without insurance.

If you have ever been touched by someone with a seizure disorder, whether it is a friend or family member, please help us help others by making a donation to the Epilepsy Foundation in support of the Bug Bug Walkers.  If you are in the Louisville, KY area, we even invite you to join us in the walk.  All you need to do is register as a member of team and join us at the Louisville Zoo that day.

To make a donation for the 2009 Walk Around Kentuckiana, please visit the Bug Bug Walkers Team Page at Epilepsy Foundation Kentuckiana.  If you would like to join us, please click on the Join our Team link at the top.  (I have also added a link in my sidebar on the upper right)

You can learn more about Seizure Disorders and Epilepsy at the Epilepsy Foundation.

Thank you for reading the update of Kate’s Story and helping us support the Epilepsy Foundation of Kentuckiana!