Community: Epilepsy Action - Great Wall of China Challenge
Posted on Monday, April 30 @ 18:12:08 PDT by poster |
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mariamne81 writes "National Epilepsy Week 20-26 May 2007
Last November it was revealed that four year old Romeo, the son of David and Victoria Beckham, has epilepsy. As the family arrived at Heathrow airport his mother was terrified that the flashing lights of the paparazzi would cause Romeo to suffer a seizure. Suddenly, this neurological condition was in the limelight. Sadly, like most newspaper stories, interest in epilepsy faded away quickly as though it were a rare and unusual condition. However, epilepsy is far more common than most people realise. Famous epileptics of the past include Julius Caesar, Martin Luther, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. In the modern world few celebrities seem willing to admit that they suffer from condition as there is a social stigma attached to it. Yet worldwide it affects approximately 50 million people, and in UK one in every 131 people has the condition.
Epilepsy is best described as...
the tendency to have recurrent seizures caused by electrical changes in the brain. The condition is not easily definable as there are around 40 different types of seizure and a person may suffer from more than one type.
For many epileptics it is a seriously debilitating and even disabling disorder; whilst many ‘grow out of it’ in adult life, others continue to suffer from what is usually a controllable, but incurable condition. Modern medicine continues to find ways in which to manage epilepsy, for instance through the continuing development of anticonvulsant drugs and new forms of neural surgery. However, in contemporary society many epileptics continue to suffer from discrimination because of the condition, which is listed under the Disabilities Discrimination Act of 1995.
In mediaeval times a woman with epilepsy risked being burnt at the stake as a witch and whilst society has thankfully ceased to respond to epilepsy in this extreme fashion, there remains a great deal of fear and anxiety about the condition which stems largely from a lack of education about it. Epilepsy Action is a charity which was founded in 1950 to improve the lives of people with epilepsy in the community. The organisation’s vision is ‘to live in a society where everyone understands epilepsy and where attitudes are based on fact not fiction’. The charity provides extensive information about the condition through its website, telephone helpline, community services and education schemes. Epilepsy Action also campaigns to improve understanding of epilepsy in schools, assists people with epilepsy in finding and keeping a job, seeks to raise standards of care, and promote equality of access to quality care.
Between 13th – 21st October this year I will be completing the Great Wall of China Challenge to raise £3500 for Epilepsy Action. This includes the costs of the trip, which I will be working part-time to cover, and the minimum sponsorship is £2750. My fundraising events for the charity are set to include a Ceilidh, cake stalls, and pub quizzes. I am also training so that I am prepared for the challenge, which among other things will take me up the 1000 steps and 20 battlements on the Great Wall at Mutinayu. I have already been practicing walking up and down Arthur’s Seat and you may even see me using David Hume Tower’s extensive staircase in preparation. I need your help to raise the sponsorship money. If you would like to make a donation, please contact me at mariamne_briggs@yahoo.co.uk or you can make a donation online at www.justgiving.com/mariamnebriggs. If you would like further information on Epilepsy Action and the Great Wall Challenge or other fundraising activities, please telephone 0113 210 8800 or go to www.epilepsy.org.uk.
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