(Page 4)
March 26th marked the 3rd Annual Purple Day, supporting epilepsy around the world campaign.
Epilepsy is a condition of the central nervous system, characterized by the tendency to have seizures. The term epilepsy covers a wide variety of disturbances in consciousness, ranging from mild sensations or interruptions in normal thought, feeling or behavior, which are barely noticeable, to the more severe convulsive seizure. Approximately 2% of the population has epilepsy. Anyone at any age can get epilepsy, although most cases are diagnosed early in life. As the baby boomers age, more seniors will be affected by epilepsy as a result of strokes, tumors and other conditions associated with aging.
Epilepsy is a condition of the central nervous system, characterized by the tendency to have seizures. The term epilepsy covers a wide variety of disturbances in consciousness, ranging from mild sensations or interruptions in normal thought, feeling or behavior, which are barely noticeable, to the more severe convulsive seizure. Approximately 2% of the population has epilepsy. Anyone at any age can get epilepsy, although most cases are diagnosed early in life. As the baby boomers age, more seniors will be affected by epilepsy as a result of strokes, tumors and other conditions associated with aging.
Okotoks resident, Kim Karran was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 15 and used to suffer from 16 to 20 seizures per month until she had the Vegas Nerve Stimulator installed in her chest. Being a “guinea pig” for the newest tool to treat epilepsy, Kim now suffers from 5 to 9 grand mal seizures per month.
Recently, Kim had a grand mal seizure that caused her to bang her head off the bathtub and bite through her lip. When she awoke on the bathroom floor, she was covered in blood. “The bathroom is the most dangerous place and the worst place for a person to have a seizure. I am scared going into the bathroom and never lock the door which ensures that help can come in if something goes wrong”, said Kim Karran.
Kim is motivated and passionate about volunteering with the Epilepsy Association to raise awareness and get people talking about epilepsy in an effort to dispel myths and inform those with seizures that they are not alone. Kim and others in the community could be seen wearing Purple on Saturday to show support for those who battle epilepsy on a daily basis that there is hope. For more information check out this website:
http://www.epilepsycalgary.com/information/general.php.
http://www.epilepsycalgary.com/information/general.php.
No comments:
Post a Comment