On Sunday Nov. 6 Thousands of people and many celebrities came to support

Epilepsy Awareness Month at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena Ca.

ArtQuench correspondent Kiri Stevens was also there to support!

Walk for Epilepsy Event

By KIRI STEVENS

November is Epilepsy Awareness Month and over 6,000 participants came out to run in support of care, advocacy research and awareness for Epilepsy.  I was very honored to be invited to hear so many people share their stories with us. They were so real, passionate and fascinating. It was the perfect Sunday to be there for such a deep cause that many need to know about.

 

It is known that approximately 5.1 million people in the United States have had a diagnosis of Epilepsy or a seizure disorder. With 150,000 new cases of Epilepsy each year in the United States, 1 in 26 people will develop Epilepsy in their lifetime. More people die from Epilepsy than Breast Cancer which is hard to believe.

Susan Pietsch-Escueta and Kiri Stevens

  After speaking to the director of the Epilepsy Foundation in Los Angeles, Susan Pietsch-Escueta, it made me realize we have a long way to go in bringing awareness to the masses, especially to the younger generation such as myself. A lot of times people with the symptoms get overlooked because family members are most likely in denial first of all.  Susan shared that Seizure first aid is often misunderstood and the way to remember What To Do consists of the five S’s.

 1. Stop to help the person.

 2. Turn them on their Side.

 3. Place something Soft under their head.

 4. Stay near them.

 5. Only Until Safe.

 If after 5 minutes someone is still in a seizure then it is recommended to call 911 for medical help, she says. 

 

The event on Sunday Nov. 6  took place at the world famous Pasadena Rose Bowl and featured so many booths such as a pop up village for children, Epilepsy Information Booths, a Wishing Wall Interactive Art Piece, The Wellness Institute Booth featuring the Charlie Foundation, special guest nutritionist Kelly LeVeque of Be Well by Kelly, stage performances by the Kids Group of Laguna Beach and an awesome dance performance to Missy Elliot by the LA Clippers Spirit Team. There were also community booths, marketplace, food truck vendors and so much more.

There were several celebrities in attendance and most of them are affected by Epilepsy on a personal level somehow so they were present to bring awareness and share their stories with everyone in attendance.

Jane Lynch, famous for her iconic role as Sue Sylvester on “Glee” has been attending the event for a few years now and was so kind and proud to be there to show her support and enthusiasm for the cause. She encouraged everyone to spread the  word and continue to ask for help.

From left to right Greg’s son Jake, Kiri Stevens and Greg Grunberg

Greg Grunberg, star of “Heroes” and “Star Wars:The Force Awakens” was in attendance as well because his son was diagnosed with Epilepsy and is doing very well. Epilepsy is so personal to him and his family and that’s why he was there to represent with his son and friends and family.

A supportive teammate and Rick Harrison

Rick Harrison from “Pawnstars” who drove over four hours to be at the event today was there to bring awareness because he battled it as a child and fought hard and is now doing much better and he’s successful and proud to share his story with everyone.

Finally, BD Freeman, from “Animal Planet” and “Mad Tv” was in attendance with his brother Jerry, who just retired after being a police officer for over 30 years. His brother still has Epilepsy and is fighting everyday. They encouraged us all to hashtag and spread the word as a lot of people aren’t familiar with the stigmas and with what Epilepsy really means.

This was a fantastic event and a super successful walk to raise money and awareness to end Epilepsy and I look forward to many more years of being there for the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles and I encourage you all to visit ENDEPILEPSY.org. THe Foundation was established in 1957 as a 501(c)3 charitable organization and the foundation is leading the fight to End Epilepsy and the burden of seizures. We must keep fighting and keep doing research to bring an end to this disease.

 

 

Great News!

ArtQuench Gallery is holding 2 new art contests with a very low entry fee of 5.95 per image!

“Illusions” and “My Life in Color” Oct. 15 – Nov. 15, 2016

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