Salute to Armed Forces Golf Tournament

  Special Thanks to the Arizona National Guard for Stopping By

Eleven o’clock Saturday morning and every golfer at the Legacy Golf Resort in Phoenix stopped to look up, wondering why a military style helicopter was landing on the driving range.  It was the Arizona National Guard and they were stopping by in a Black Hawk Helicopter to show their support at the Salute to Armed Forces Golf Tournament benefiting the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona’s Operation Outreach. 

The event was the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona’s first attempt at a golf tournament, and was a fabulous way to honor the service men and women of Arizona.  The four-person shamble kicked off on Friday, October 16^th, 2009 with a 1:15 shotgun and included a Las Vegas style casino hole, long-drive tournament, hole-in-one challenge and closest to the pin contest.  The evening culminated in a western-style BBQ featuring ribs, chicken and the works.  The program featured guest speakers affected by traumatic brain injury and epilepsy, including Jeremiah Thompson, an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran and Epilepsy Foundation Spokesman.   The evening concluded with a silent auction featuring a tandem jump from a military C-130 cargo plane with Special Ops troops. 

Special thanks to our tournament sponsors: SRP, Forever Living Products, General Dynamics, Gus Kapellas, Pfizer, Quarles & Brady, LLP, Robertson Aviationand Networking Phoenix.

CDC Advisory for H1N1 Vaccine in Children with Epilepsy

Atlanta, Ga.Sept. 4, 2009--The CDC released a study today detailing the effects the swine flu (H1N1) has had on children in the United States. The study results were released in the Sept. 4, 2009, issue of CDC's publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

As of August 8, 2009, 477 deaths have been associated with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in the United States, including 36 children younger than 18 years. Based on studies from previous influenza outbreaks, children aged younger than 5 years or with certain chronic medical conditions are at increased risk for complications and death from influenza. Sixty-seven percent of children who died had at least one chronic high-risk medical condition. Neurodevelopmental conditions, such as developmental delay, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy, were the most frequently noted chronic medical conditions, reported in over 90 percent of children with a chronic medical condition. A number of children also had bacterial infections, including most children who were older than 5 years and did not have high-risk medical conditions. This finding suggests that bacteria, in combination with H1N1 influenza, can cause severe disease in children who may be otherwise healthy.

The CDC advises: Any child, even previously healthy children and especially those with chronic medical conditions, can have a severe illness or even death from 2009 Pandemic influenza A (H1N1). All children aged 6 months and older should receive 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccine when it becomes available, and children with high-risk medical conditions should immediately consult with a health care provider if they develop an illness consistent with influenza.

Social Media Craze

Thanks to our newest partner, Fluent, the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona is now on Facebook and Twitter... joing the social media craze!

Find us on twitter - @arizonaepilepsy