Message from the Chair

By Steve Sabatini, Chair of the Epilepsy Foundation

One of the most important aspects of any national health-related organization is its ability to positively impact people. The Epilepsy Foundation is fortunate to have a network of local Epilepsy Foundations located in communities throughout the country. Every day, these local affiliates help people with epilepsy and their caregivers with direct services such as support groups, community outreach, and education in schools and community centers.

Many of these affiliates also provide summer camps for kids with epilepsy. Because kids with epilepsy often feel socially excluded from others who don’t have epilepsy, the camp experience reaffirms the fact that they are not alone. As you will see in this issue, camps across the country are a great place for kids with epilepsy to do everything kids want to do at camp—horseback riding, swimming, hiking, eating marshmallows around a campfire, and making lifelong friends. And they do it all in an environment where they learn that epilepsy is something they have, but it doesn’t have them.

What epilepsy means to an individual can be defined by someone’s age, by their parents, by their peers and friends, and by their culture. In this issue, we also explore the impact of epilepsy within the Hispanic community. And, as in any diverse community, access to care can be challenging. It may encompass income and language barriers. In addition, some age-old beliefs about epilepsy still persist within the Hispanic community and they, too, may create gaps in communication and treatment. So, the Epilepsy Foundation is engaging leaders in the Hispanic community to improve the way epilepsy is perceived and treatment is provided— again, a great example of how local Epilepsy Foundations positively impact people and communities across the country.

Finally, after returning from walking with more than 8,000 people during the second-annual National Walk for Epilepsy in Washington, D.C., I continue to be amazed at the diversity and energy within the epilepsy community. We will have extensive coverage of the National Walk for Epilepsy—and also of our annual Kids Speak Up! initiative on Capitol Hill—in our next issue. In the meantime, visit www.epilepsyfoundation.org to view some of the photographs and videos in our Web gallery.

I hope you enjoy this issue and remember, whether it’s summer camps for kids, outreach in diverse communities or nationwide events like the National Walk for Epilepsy, all of us continue to look for ways to ensure that not another moment is lost to seizures.