The Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles (EFGLA) is hosting its 12th Walk to End Epilepsy® on Saturday, February 2 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The Walk to End Epilepsy brings the community together to affect change through care, advocacy, research and education. This year’s fun, family-friendly 5K Walk/Run and 1-mile stroll will feature celebrities such as Jane Lynch, Coby Bell and others, all of whom have generously donated their time to support the Epilepsy Foundation’s fundraising efforts and help raise awareness about epilepsy.
“The Walk to End Epilepsy is the first and only Walk to End Epilepsy in California. It is our premier event for raising funds to help the more than 160,000 people affected by epilepsy and seizures in our local community,” said Rebekkah Halliwell, executive director, EFGLA. “Everyone who participates in the Walk — by leading a team, making a donation, sponsoring a person with epilepsy or volunteering — helps fund research and awareness, training programs on seizure recognition and first aid, as well as improved access to specialty and supportive care. Our goal this year is to raise $600,000, so we are extremely excited and thankful to all of our sponsors, partners and celebrities for supporting our efforts.”
The nationwide Walk to End Epilepsy, which began in Los Angeles and has now expanded to cities across the country, attracts participants from all over Southern California, and has had an impact across the state through support for statewide advocacy.
Over a lifetime, one in 10 people will have a seizure, and one in 26 will be diagnosed with epilepsy. There are more people living with epilepsy than with autism spectrum disorders, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy, combined. Yet, epilepsy receives one-tenth the research funding than any one of those neurological disorders.
In 2018, more than 4,500 participants attended the Walk to End Epilepsy in Southern California, including people with epilepsy, family and friends, corporate sponsors and medical professionals from epilepsy centers at major medical institutions. Together, they raised more than $500,000. The 2019 Walk will include various activities, such as a walk-through giant inflatable brain, team sign decoration stations, food trucks, arts and crafts, games, and more.
This year’s sponsors include: Sprouts Farmers Market, Eisai Pharmaceuticals, Greenwich Biosciences, CHOC Children’s Neuroscience Institute and many more.
To sign up or for more information about the Walk to End Epilepsy in Southern California, please visit WalktoEndEpilepsy.org/LosAngeles.
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 of Greater Los Angeles
As the local chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation, the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles (EFGLA) is the only charitable organization dedicated solely to serving people affected by epilepsy in the entire four-county region of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Ventura. EFGLA is leading the fight to End Epilepsy® and overcome the challenges created by seizures by focusing on care, advocacy, research and education. Through these areas of focus, EFGLA offers a range of services and programs to help, support, advocate for, and empower, those who are affected by epilepsy and their caregivers. EFGLA supports research to accelerate cures for the epilepsies and the training, and work, of new pediatric epilepsy specialists; seeks to educate the general public to better understand epilepsy/seizure disorders; and mobilizes the community in the fight to End Epilepsy. For more information about EFGLA, please visit EndEpilepsy.org/GreaterLosAngeles.
Source: “Los Angeles” – Google News