For the Media:

Editor's Note: For a complete list of Kids Speak Up! participants and brief bios visit the link at the bottom of this page.

Kids Speak Up! on Capitol Hill About Epilepsy

Washington, D.C., March 21, 2006 -- Children with epilepsy and their families will converge on Capitol Hill to take part in the Epilepsy Foundation's Kids Speak Up! Campaign. The participants will meet with their congressional representatives on March 30, 2006 on behalf of the 2.7 million Americans living with epilepsy.

The 44 youths are participating in Kids Speak Up!, a national program coordinated by the Epilepsy Foundation and sponsored by Abbott Laboratories. The program rallies young ambassadors with epilepsy between the ages of 7 and 16 to petition congressional leaders personally for aid in assuring better access to care, improved public education and research towards a cure for epilepsy.

"They were selected to participate in Kids Speak Up! to represent the approximately 326,000 children under age 15 who are affected by the condition. These children are ideal candidates because of their efforts to spread epilepsy awareness in their communities," said Eric Hargis, president and CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation.

Epilepsy is the most common neurological condition in children and the third most common in adults after Alzheimer’s and stroke. Despite modern therapy, about 1 million people continue to experience seizures or significant side effects from treatment.

According to the Epilepsy Foundation's National Cost of Epilepsy Study published in 2000, epilepsy cost the nation more than $12.5 billion in medical costs and lost productivity, a sum equal to $16.26 billion in today's dollars.

###

The Epilepsy Foundation, a national voluntary health organization established in 1967, works to ensure that people with seizures are able to participate in all life experiences. In addition to programs provided by the metropolitan Washington, D.C., based national office, people with seizures and their families are served throughout the country by 54 affiliated local Epilepsy Foundations.

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs 60,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.