Epilepsy is a disorder that disturbs nerve activity in the brain which causes seizures at unpredictable times. It is also the fourth most common neurologic condition. It can be caused by a past brain injury like a tramura or a stroke or it can be a genetic disorder. There are many ways to treat epilepsy however it cannot be cured. However, each type of seizure is treated differently.
Epilepsy affects every 1 in 26 people, which means 65 million people in the world are diagnosed with epilepsy. Epilepsy is most common in young children and older adults, however, it can happen at any age. It is known to be the most common neurological disorder in children. Over 50% of cases, the cause of epilepsy is unknown, which makes the disorder incurable. These stats make it harder for people with epilepsy to do normal things.
Many people with epilepsy have reported memory loss and random mood swings, which affects the daily life. A common way to treat these are by using anti-epilepsy drugs. Epilepsy also makes daily life more difficult, such as employment, learning, relationships and social interactions. Even having a restless night of sleep can increase seizure activity.
Here at Timber Creek we have recently been spreading awareness on the topic with the epilepsy awareness club. Meetings occur monthly in room 520. This club was created due to the passing of Grace Foley, a former student at Timber Creek. Club founder, junior Kacie Michaud, was inspired to create this club. “When Grace passed I felt like I didn’t know that much about epilepsy. I wanted to use this as an opportunity to spread awareness for epilepsy and be able to give donations to the foundation. I wanted to be able to help others that are dealing with epilepsy so that they feel like they’re not alone.”
