2005 Kids Speak Up! Participant Biography

Victoria Koch

Age: 11
Grade: 6
Chicago, Ill.

For Victoria Koch, epilepsy has had a significant impact on her entire family. According to Victoria's mother, Lisa, the hardest part about her daughter's epilepsy has been Victoria's difficulty in making lasting friendships. Lisa was shocked and disappointed to learn Victoria's peers avoided her because they thought epilepsy was something they could catch. In addition, Victoria's young classmates often assumed Victoria was not intelligent because she required additional time to finish tasks at school due to her learning disabilities.

After witnessing the misconceptions and stigma associated with Victoria's epilepsy, the Koch family worked to spread awareness throughout their community about what epilepsy is. Lisa and her husband have successfully partnered with the schools in their area to establish the Lunch Buddy and Circle of Friends program to help students with special needs maintain positive relationships with their classmates.

Victoria is eager to participate as an advocate in the 2005 Kids Speak Up! program and help her peers understand how difficult it is to have epilepsy and experience the fatigue and other effects of her seizures. Victoria would like people with seizures to be treated like everyone else. They just happen to have epilepsy.

Back to 2005 Kids Speak Up! Participants by State...