Tag: Awareness

Let’s Talk About It…

Published on by Coffee, Chocolate & Xanax2 Comments

It’s November! You know what that means… It’s time to talk about it!

Talk about what? 

Talk about Epilepsy of course!

Our daughter Meghan has Epilepsy so it’s important to us to spread the word about Epilepsy! 

We want to educate YOU! 

Did you know there are 65 million people worldwide that suffer from epilepsy or a seizure disorder of some kind?

Over 3 million of those people live in the United States and 300,000 of them are children under the age of 15!

Those are pretty astonishing numbers! 

Let me put it another way:

The number of people living with epilepsy or a seizure disorder is GREATER than the number of people living with Multiple Sclerosis, cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, and Parkinson’s Disease combined!

You know what else is crazy…

One third of those 3 million people  live with uncontrolled seizures, because right now there isn’t a treatment available to them that works and for 6 out of 1o of those people the cause of their seizures is unknown.

So what do I want you to know about epilepsy?

I want you to know:

  • Epilepsy is a medical condition that is not contagious, but talking about it should be!
  • A person having seizures is not possessed by the devil!  A seizure is an electrical misfiring in the brain and can cause many symptoms, from convulsions and loss of consciousness to some that are not always recognized as seizures by the person experiencing them or by health care professionals: blank staring, lip smacking, or jerking movements of arms and legs. ~Epilepsy Foundation~
  • NEVER put something in a person’s mouth when they are having a seizure! Contrary to popular belief a person can’t swallow their tongue.  You are more likely to get hurt or hurt the person having the seizure, by trying to force their mouth open.

*Video courtesy of The Talk About It Foundation

  • Treat a person who has seizures no differently than how you’d treat any other friend or family member!
  • If you ever have a seizure find yourself an epileptologist you feel comfortable with and talk about your options.  You may only need a small amount of medicine to control your seizures! However there are other treatments available like VNS and even surgery.

Most important TALK ABOUT IT!  Don’t be afraid to ask questions or go online, there are lots of really great places to get information:

So are you gonna help me get the word out?

Cool!

Here are some tweetable facts courtesy of Ken Lowenberg of The Talk About It Foundation.  Use the hashtags #EpilepsyAwareness

#Epilepsy  #TalkAboutIt

If someone is having a seizure, NEVER put anything in their mouth! #Epilepsyawareness

If someone is having a seizure, NEVER hold them down or restrain them in any way! #epilepsyawareness

#Epilepsy is NOT Contagious but talking about it should be. #epilepsyawareness

#Epilepsy is NOT a mental illness. #epilepsyawareness

65 MILLION people around the world live with #epilepsy.#epilepsyawareness

NEARLY 3 MILLION people in the United States have #epilepsy. #epilepsyawareness

BETWEEN 4 AND 10 OUT OF 1,000 people on earth live with active seizures at any one time.#epilepsyawareness

There are 200,000 new cases of #epilepsy in the United States. #epilepsyawareness

ONE-THIRD of people with #epilepsy live with uncontrollable seizures because no available treatment works for them. #epilepsyawareness

For 6 OUT OF 10 people living with #epilepsy, the cause of their seizures is unknown. #epilepsyawareness

50,000 people die from epilepsy-related causes in the United States every year. #epilepsyawareness

90 PERCENT of people with #epilepsy live in developing nations. #epilepsyawareness

9 OUT OF 10 people with #epilepsy living in Africa do not receive proper treatment. #epilepsyawareness

Even One Seizure Is To Many!

Published on by Coffee, Chocolate & Xanax4 Comments

 Here at Gone Bananas we’re spending the month of November talking about it!

Talking about what you say?

Talking about Epilepsy!

 November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month!

 Our Meg lives with epilepsy and after about three years of no seizure episodes she all of a sudden started having them again this summer.  So in the last couple of months we’ve taken some trips to All Children’s Hospital where she’s had a few EEG’s and an MRI to try to get to the bottom of why they’ve suddenly resurfaced.

It’s been tough couple of months for Meg because she’s now at an age where she’s knows and trying to understand it all is difficult, but she’s amazing and perseveres through everything with a smile and a positive attitude.  I LOVE that about her!

So every November and March we talk about it! 

 We talk about it because we don’t ever want Meghan to be afraid to talk about it!

We talk about it, because we’ve learned there are still so many myths associated with Epilepsy!

Did you know some people still believe Epilepsy is the work of evil spirits? 

 Crazy right?  I know!

 But unless we talk about it they will never know any different.

Here are some great facts written by:  Kenneth Lowenberg

(Resource: www.epilepsy.com and www.Talkaboutit.org)

FACT: If someone is having a seizure, NEVER put anything in their mouth!

No one can swallow their tongue, that is a very persistent myth we have to end. Trying to put something in someone’s mouth while they have a seizure could significantly hurt the person. It could damage their jaw or teeth. And it is simply NEVER the thing to do. 

 FACT: If someone is having a seizure, NEVER hold them down or restrain them in any way! 

 When someone has a convulsive seizure, their legs and arms will move in a jerking fashion. This is the muscle response to the excessive electrical discharge happening in their brain. As long as the person is not in any danger, like near an object that can hurt them, it is important to let the seizure take its course — usually just a minute or two. Restraining the person may hurt them. Just make sure they are safe, and stay with them until the seizure ends. 

 FACT: Epilepsy is NOT Contagious. 

There is no way anyone can ‘catch’ epilepsy. Not possible. Ever. 

FACT: Epilepsy should NOT be a barrier to happiness and success. 

 While epilepsy varies in treatment and severity on an individual basis, one should always do their best to keep a positive outlook and strive to live the best life you can. As Greg Grunberg says, “We all have something.” And that’s true. We each face our own challenges every day. And it is up to our personal strength and our community of support in family and friends to help us through whatever we face. 

 Another reason we talk about it is because Epilepsy needs to be put on the map in the same way Autism and Cancer have, so it can receive funding for research and we can find a cure!

FACT: There are 3 million people in the United States and 50 million people around the world who have Epilepsy.

FACT:  One third is the number of people with epilepsy who live with uncontrollable seizures because there is no available treatment that works for them.

FACT:  6 out of 10 is the number of people with epilepsy where the cause is unknown.

FACT: Their are 50,000 deaths related to and 200,000 new cases of epilepsy each year.

One seizure is too many, let alone one life lost to epilepsy!

It’s time to start talking about it!

 

 

 

 

The Passionate Purple Day Giveaway!

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This post will be at the top of my blog till March 3oth so please scroll down to see newer posts!

I’m extending my giveaway to March 30th so get those photos submitted!

Epilepsy is a cause near and dear to our heart as our own Meg-a-Moo lives with epilepsy!
 March 26th has become known as Purple Day, a day when we encourage people around the world to wear purple in support of epilepsy awareness!

 “Purple day began with a nine-year-old girl, Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, Canada, who with the help of the Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia (EANS) chose the colour purple (lavender) as the international colour for epilepsy, which is awesome as it’s Megs favorite color. The lavender flower is also often associated with solitude, which represents the feeling of isolation many people affected by epilepsy and seizure disorders often feel. Cassidy’s goal is for people with epilepsy everywhere to know they are not alone. To learn more about Cassidy and Global Purple Day Partners EANS and The Anita Kaufmann Foundation (AKFUS), please click HERE.”

Meg and I were talking about what we could do to create awareness and so we decided to ask our friends and family to wear purple on March 26th and send us pictures so we could create a collage that would remind Meg of the love and support she has all around her.

Well then this idea grew!

We put our heads together and came up with a purple themed competition…

 The Passionate Purple Day Giveaway!

… asking bloggers to take pictures of anything and everything purple and then link them back here!   

The only rule is to be creative! 

  You can take pictures of your family decked out in purple, purple jam, kids painting with purple, flowers, balloons, etc.  The more creative the better!

The competition will run until March 30th, which is when Meg will pick a winner and we will send them a purple prize!

So let’s show people how powerful blogging really is! 

Please join our family and help us spread  Epilepsy Awareness around the world!

Thank You!