Celebrating Our Community at the 2018 National Walk for Epilepsy
Epilepsy News From: Wednesday, April 25, 2018
On Saturday, April 14, more than 2,400 walkers, including people living with epilepsy and their family and friends, took part in the 12th Annual National Walk for Epilepsy on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. On a beautiful spring day, participants celebrated epilepsy awareness, connected with new friends and old, and learned about how to get involved with the Epilepsy Foundation. Virtual walkers across the country also joined by walking and spreading awareness in their local communities.
View photos from the event:
- Album from Pixel Strut, LLC
- Album from photographer Ron Taylor
- Album from photographer Mike Whalen
- Album from photographer Rodney Black
Inspiring Hope and Finding Community
Team Sanderson traveled all the way from Ashland, OH, and brought together the Sanders and Anderson family. Tiffany Sanders lives with epilepsy and met Brady Anderson when she was a substitute teacher at Reagan Elementary School. Brady also lives with epilepsy and Tiffany connected with him and his family immediately. While Tiffany’s seizures are well controlled, Brady experiences 50-60 seizures a day. The 2018 walk was their second time attending the #EpilepsyWalk and they plan on returning in 2019. Read more about why the walk and raising awareness about epilepsy and seizures is important to them.
Walkers Joe Evans and April Rose arrived early on Saturday to grab their t-shirts and explore Walkers Village. They both found comfort in the day’s celebrations.
A Time for Reflection
A reoccurring feature at the Epilepsy Walk is the Remembrance Wall, where participants decorate flags in memory of loved ones who lost their life due to epilepsy-related causes.
Elizabeth Dewey, a freshman at the George Washington University, attended the walk for the first time as a volunteer. Elizabeth’s mother Eva passed away from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) when Elizabeth was only eight years old. She took time to honor her mother at the Remembrance Wall with her best friend Surabhi, another volunteer.
“Putting the flag on the Remembrance Wall was a lot more emotional than I thought,” Elizabeth said. “When I went over to the wall and put the flag up, I started crying. It wasn’t necessarily out of sadness. It just meant so much to me that I was able to be there and honor her in a really special way with other people that share similar experiences."
While 2018 was Elizabeth’s first walk, she is no stranger to the Epilepsy Foundation and has wanted to attend the walk for years. In her senior year of high school, she started raising money for the Foundation and awareness about SUDEP by selling handmade necklaces.
Until Next Year!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the National Walk for Epilepsy. The Epilepsy Foundation is continually inspired by the incredible epilepsy community and the support you show one another. Without you, the walk would not be the wonderful event it continues to be.
Fundraising will continue until May 14, so there’s still time to encourage your family and friends to donate!
The Epilepsy Foundation would like to thank our 2018 sponsors:
- National Presenting Sponsor: Sunovion
- Signature Sponsor: LivaNova
- Champion Sponsors: Eisai, Greenwich Biosciences, Lundbeck, and UCB
- Featured Sponsors: Danny Did Foundation and Supernus® Pharmaceuticals
Reviewed Date
Wednesday, April 25, 2018