Thousands of People with Epilepsy, their Loved Ones, & Numerous Celebrities Take Action Together on the National Mall to END EPILEPSY®

Walk to END EPILEPSY^® Raises More than $800,000 for Programs, Awareness and Research

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Epilepsy Foundation hosted its Walk to END EPILEPSY^® - D.C. on Saturday, April 27, on the National Mall with thousands of people with epilepsy and their families, as well as celebrities Greg Grunberg, Rick Harrison, Amy Jo Johnson, Phil LaMarr, and DJ Nonchalant. The Walk to END EPILEPSY brings the community together to affect change through care, advocacy, research and education.

The Walk has raised more than $800,000 so far that will fund programs, awareness and research. The money also will help train more people on seizure recognition and first aid, as well as improve access to specialty care for the more than 3.4 million people in the U.S. living with epilepsy. The event featured a Remembrance Wall with nearly 100 memorial flags to honor those who lost their lives to epilepsy-related causes, such as sudden unexpected death in epilepy (SUDEP).

 

Everyone who participated today — individuals, teams, partners, sponsors — made an impact in the lives of everyone living with epilepsy and seizures. Today’s top individual fundraisers included: Jeff Miller & Jill Paradise, Dana Annis, John Padilla, and Matthew Steele.

The Epilepsy Foundation would like to thank all of its partners and sponsors who helped make the event a success. Key partners/sponsors include: National Signature Sponsor, Greenwich Biosciences; National Champion Sponsor, Eisai; and Champion Sponsor, UCB-DC.

About Epilepsy

According to the World Health Organization, epilepsy is the most common serious brain disorder worldwide with no age, racial, social class, national or geographic boundaries. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) estimates that 3.4 million people in the United States are affected by epilepsy. It is the underlying tendency of the brain to produce seizures which are sudden abnormal bursts of electrical energy that disrupt brain functions.

About the Epilepsy Foundation

With a network of nearly 50 partners throughout the United States, the Foundation connects people to treatment, support and resources; leads advocacy efforts; funds innovative research and the training of specialists; and educates the public about epilepsy and seizure first aid. For more than five decades, the Epilepsy Foundation has shone a light on epilepsy to promote awareness and understanding, and to advocate for laws that matter to people with epilepsy, while also funding $65 million for epilepsy research and supporting 3,076 epilepsy investigators and specialists in their early careers. Over the past 17 years, in partnership with the CDC, the Epilepsy Foundation has helped to improve access to care for people with epilepsy, expanded its digital reach and online resources in homes across the country, and trained more than 500,000 school and community personnel in how to recognize seizures and administer seizure first aid. The Foundation has also assisted more than 108,000 people through its 24/7 Helpline in the past five years, and continues to focus on innovation, new therapies, community services, advocacy and education as key priorities. To learn more visit epilepsy.com or call 1.800.332.1000. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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