Meet Chanda Gunn and DJ Hapa Epilepsy.com Superstars and Spokespeople for the Epilepsy Therapy Project

Despite the fact that epilepsy is much more common than multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and ALS combines, people are still reluctant to talk about it. Our spokespeople are bringing a face to epilepsy and are increasing the awareness of the need for new therapies.

Chanda Gunn

Chanda Gunn is a goaltender for the USA Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team, and bronze medal winner of the 2006 Winter Olympics. Besides being a world-renowned athlete, she is also a person living each day with epilepsy, and is the first proud spokesperson for the Epilepsy therapy Project and epilepsy.com.

Chanda has lived with epilepsy since she was nine years old, but has never let it defeat her. She has received numerous awards for the athletic abilities and perservance. Most recently, Gunn and her US team won the silver at the 2006 Four Nations Cup. She was awarded the Honda Inspiration Award, the Humanitarian Award for college hockey's finest citizen. During her senior year at Northeastern University in Boston, where she started an inner-city youth hockey program, Gunn won the NCAA sportsmanship-of-the-year award for 2003-04. In addition, she was named a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award for the nation's best women's college hockey player. Further, Gunn helped the US win the silver medal in the 2004 world championships.

As spokesperson for the Epilepsy Therapy Project, Chanda promotes epilepsy awareness, as well as educates the public about the urgent need for increased efforts in epilepsy research to advance new treatments. Chanda knows that while she must still manage her epilepsy with medication, she is lucky to have well-controlled seizures and to have found a treatment that works. However, she also know the daily struggle that millions of people around the world face with uncontrolled seizures, and how difficult life can be when all available epilepsy treatments fail.

What makes a winning team? Dedication, commitment, and great teammates, of course.

Chanda is dedicated to the Epilepsy Therapy Project, and to our mission to advance new therapies for people living with epilepsy. The Epilepsy Therapy Project is thankful to have Chanda Gunn -- our Most Valuable Player.

DJ Hapa

L.A. Turntable Celebrity DJ Hapa is well-known on the Hollywood scene and worldwide for his skills on the turntables. As a disc jockey, Hapa's versatility is unmatched. The combination of his energy and skills on the turntables and mic has allowed him to rock crowds in the hottest night clubs across the world from Club Mix at the top of THE Hotel in the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, to Edge (Hong Kong), to Plaza of Nations (Canada), and Mood (Hollywood, CA). His knowledge of all genres of music has given him the opportunity to spin at exclusive VIP and private parties and exclusive events like Michael Jordan's Celebrity Golf Tournament in Nassau, Bahamas, the NBA All Star Game (2005 and 2007) and at the 2007 Rose Bowl.

DJ Hapa is also the first celebrity from the hip-hop community to identify himself as having epilepsy, and is proud to be featured as a national spokesperson for the Epilepsy Therapy Project and epilepsy.com.

Hapa first discovered he had epilepsy in high school -- where he excelled as a student-athlete and was awarded the highly regarded Regents Scholarship to attend UCLA. Doctors told him that the stress of college life would not be "possible" with the condition as the ongoing seizures would cause brain damage, or worse. Determined not to let anything stop him from achieving any of his dreams or aspirations, Hapa accepted the offer to attend UCLA with the highly regarded Regents scholarship, and moved to Los Angeles.

Hapa can also be found DJing every morning on the Emmy Award Winning Los Angeles Morning News Show on KTLA Channel 5, on the CW network. Hapa's role on the show is ground-breaking, as he is the firtst DJ to ever DJ on the news.

When Hapa is not on the news, or traveling all over the world he takes pride in being the Executive Director of Scratch DJ Academy, Los Angeles. In a recent interview Hapa state, "I am feeling so much of a need to give back. I could tour the world, and have everything that I ever wanted, but if I am not giving back, I am not touching anyone. In the entertainment industry it is hard to be different. Less than perfection is hard. And with the schedule that I keep, it is amazing that I can speak. But I am here for a reason -- to send a message, to give a message."

About Hapa's role as the national spokesperson for the Epilepsy Therapy Project and epilepsy.com, Hapa stated: "It is a gift to me. It means a lot to me personally. I want people to know that you can have epilepsy and you can succeed."

It means a lot to the Epilepsy Therapy Project to have Hapa join us as our spokesperson. He is our gift.

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