Later this week, I plan to propose a resolution designating November as “Epilepsy Awareness Month.”
One of the world’s oldest known medical conditions, epilepsy is also one of the most misunderstood, often leading to fear, discrimination and isolation. By raising awareness, the fear and misunderstanding can be reduced, and the lives of the millions who are affected by the condition can be much improved.
A chronic brain condition, epilepsy is characterized by recurring seizures that are physical reactions to sudden, brief, excessive electrical discharges in brain cells; the brain is impacted by these excessive electrical discharges. While a seizure is often thought to be a full-body convulsion, it can also be brief muscle spasms and unconscious behaviors that appear to be attention lapses.
Over 65 million people worldwide have epilepsy, with more than 2 million in the United States. One-third of people with epilepsy must endure uncontrollable seizures because no available treatments work for them.
Please join me in this important effort to raise epilepsy awareness, help people understand the condition, and encourage the support of epilepsy research programs, so that the future of those with epilepsy can be better and brighter.
If you have any questions, please contact my office at 717.787.8927. |
