Valentine's Day Connected to Epilepsy

Valentine’s Day Connected to Epilepsy

Landover, MD (February 13, 2008) — Valentine’s Day is not just for lovers. The celebration in honor of the patron saint of lovers, St. Valentine, takes on greater meaning when you consider he is also the patron saint of epilepsy— a common neurological condition that causes seizures, and affects more than 3 million children and adults in the United States, according to the Epilepsy Foundation.

Some accounts suggest St. Valentine is connected to epilepsy because the name Valentine is similar to the German word for “fallen.” Epilepsy was once known as the “falling sickness” because some seizures caused a person to lose consciousness and fall. Still other legends propose that a 3rd century bishop named Valentine von Terni freed the son of a Roman orator from an epileptic seizure.

Today, medical research, an increasing variety of scientifically proven therapies, and programs and events like the National Walk for Epilepsy (www.walkforepilepsy.org) are helping to raise awareness and improve the lives of people across the country.

Download this press release (PDF).