National Epilepsy Awareness Month is important to us because our eight-year-old daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy after experiencing a seizure in 2019. Some underlying health issues predisposed her to the possibility of developing epilepsy, but we were hopeful she’d avoid ever having to experience and live with seizures.

The first seizure was sudden and a scary experience for all of us. Thankfully, we realized what was happening almost immediately and she was treated quickly enough to prevent any permanent impact on her overall health. She’s had subsequent seizures since then, but her epilepsy is well controlled with medication and other preventative measures, such as an adequate amount of sleep.

Our daughter’s diagnosis was life-altering for our entire family, but it certainly hasn’t defined her. She is a funny, creative, loving, energetic, and smart little girl who happens to have a seizure disorder. It is important to us that others see her this way when we share that she has epilepsy. Public misunderstanding and treatment of people with epilepsy can often be bigger problems than actual seizures.

Epilepsy is relatively common – 1 in 26 people will develop it in their lifetime – but widely misunderstood. We’ve taken steps within our organization to reduce misunderstanding and the potential stigmatization of people with seizure disorders. Many of our staff are trained and certified in seizure first aid, which is provided free of charge and on-demand by the Epilepsy Foundation. I hope you’ll consider taking the training, too.

Learn more about National Epilepsy Awareness Month and the Epilepsy Foundation by visiting www.epilepsy.com.

Written by David Ford, Owner of Central Bucks Gymnastics and Dance