Event Raises Critical Funds and Awareness for the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut and the Local Epilepsy Community
The fifth annual Walk to END EPILEPSY, put on by the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut, is scheduled for Saturday, May 7, at Cove Island Park in Stamford. The Walk to End Epilepsy brings the community together to affect change through care, advocacy, research and education. This family-friendly walk will feature speakers living with epilepsy who will share their stories and join more than 100 people to support the Epilepsy Foundation’s fundraising efforts and help raise awareness about epilepsy. Registration will begin at 9 am. The walk will start at 10 am and be followed by a lunch.Registration is available at epilepsyct.com/walk.
“We are excited to hold the Walk to End Epilepsy in Stamford to further engage and mobilize the community to be part of the fight to end epilepsy,” said Elizabeth Styblo, events coordinator for the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut. “The Walk to END EPILEPSY strengthens our current efforts and generates funding to help families affected by epilepsy and seizures in our local community.”
In our community, one in ten people will have a seizure, and one in 26 will be diagnosed with epilepsy. There are more people living with epilepsy than Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy, combined. Yet, epilepsy receives one-tenth the research funding than any one of those disorders. In Connecticut alone, there are more than 36,000 affected by epilepsy. According to the World Health Organization, epilepsy is the most common serious brain disorder worldwide with no age, racial, social class, national or geographic boundaries. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) estimates that 3.4 million people in the United States are affected by epilepsy. It is the underlying tendency of the brain to produce seizures which are sudden abnormal bursts of electrical energy that disrupt brain functions.
That’s why hundreds participate annually in the Stamford Walk to End Epilepsy, hosted by the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut. Together, the organization hopes to raise funds to support awareness, training programs on seizure recognition and first aid, as well as self-management programs for people living with epilepsy.
Among those who are walking this year is hometown hero, Taylor Logan of Trumbull, Connecticut. Taylor was diagnosed with Epilepsy at just 16 years old. The diagnosis scared her because she thought she wouldn’t be able to accomplish the things she wanted to. But, she has gone on to earn her bachelors in business management with a minor in dance, her masters in sports management, and her acceptance into the Joffrey Ballet School. Taylor gives back to her community and has taught dance, coached soccer, been a camp counselor at a summer camp for kids living with epilepsy and been a mentor. She is now raising awareness of epilepsy and inspiring others with epilepsy by sharing her story and speaking at the Walk to End Epilepsy in Stamford. She and her team, Team Taylor, are walking with the goal of raising $2,000 on behalf of the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut.
Everyone who participates in the Walk to End Epilepsy — by leading a team, making a donation, sponsoring a person with epilepsy or volunteering — helps fund awareness, training programs on seizure recognition and first aid, as well as self-management programs for people living with epilepsy.
National Sponsors of the 2022 Walk to End Epilepsy include: Jazz Pharmaceuticals, SK Life Science, Eisai, UCB, and LivaNova.
About the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut
EFCT, an affiliate of the Nationwide Epilepsy Foundation, is a state-wide, nonprofit charitable agency dedicated to helping to improve the quality of life for people affected by epilepsy and their loved ones. To learn more, visit epilepsyct.com.
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