Too Many Kids With Seizures

On February 2nd the RE Children's Project will be holding its third annual fundraiser, Turning Love Into Power at the Woodway Country Club.  The proceeds of the benefit will support research into a rare epilepsy syndrome, rasmussen's encephalitis.  The RE Children's Project was founded in 2010 after an outpouring of support by Darien for Grace Wohlberg as she struggled with unrelenting seizures and paralysis on half her body. The research supported by the RE Children's Project also provides insights into other rare epilepsy syndromes as well as incurable epilepsy, a hallmark of rasmussen's.  More than 25 epilepsy syndromes have been delineated.  Since its founding the RE Children's has supported path breaking projects with its research partners that include UCLA and Johns Hopkins Medical Center and also sponsored two research symposiums.

Despite the progress of Grace following hemispherectomy surgery, there are many kids still being impacted by seizures that need our assistance.  Epilepsy is a disease that impacts children and unfortunately with the stigma associated with the epilepsies, it is both underfunded by private as well as governmental sources. One in 26 people in the United States will develop an epilepsy at some point in their lifetime.  There are approximately 2.2 million people with epilepsy in the US as compared to 350,000 with Parkinson's disease and 500,000 with autism. 

For more information on epilepsy and its societal impact please see the Institute of Medicine's informative report of last year entitled, "Epilepsy across the Spectrum."  Please support the RE Children's fundraiser on February 2, www.rechildrens.org.