Virtual program to Walk for Epilepsy
St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School student Phoebe O’Connor is encouraging the Gippsland community to partake in the Epilepsy Foundation’s virtual fundraiser Walk for Epilepsy.
The fundraiser is on now and will run to Sunday, October 25 in support of the one in 25 Australians who have epilepsy in their lifetime.
Phoebe is extremely passionate about this cause after living with epilepsy since being diagnosed at age five.
“My seizures are mainly controlled with medication, but under conditions of, say, extreme stress or heat, I may have a seizure because they are my trigger points,” Phoebe said. “This takes a bit of management, not so much changing my life, but managing my condition and being aware of what’s going on that might subconsciously be affecting me.”
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder of the brain that involves recurring seizures. These seizures are more likely to occur in times of anxiety, stress, depression, and feelings of isolation. The current COVID-19 situation has been far from ideal for those who suffer from epilepsy and the Epilepsy Foundation is continuing to raise awareness of the delicate situation.
The foundation is asking people to take to their streets to support the 25-day virtual event.
Epilepsy Foundation CEO Graeme Shears says they are “asking people to walk, run, cycle or swim in their local suburb and tally up the distance covered to collectively reach a target of 25,000 kilometres, the distance around Australia.”
The foundation said it was a great time to participate due to COVID restrictions, meaning you can go out and exercise safely whilst also supporting a good cause.
During the coronavirus breakout, Phoebe has been suffering from more seizures than what she would usually have in a year.
Phoebe says, “this year, I’ve had two seizures, two months apart, which is unusual, and I think it relates to the stress of COVID-19”.
Epilepsy has affected some major parts of Phoebe’s life, including her learner driving and particularly stressful school assessments. However, the year 12 student continues to keep her head up and persist with schooling.
Phoebe will be taking part in the walk as she says “I saw the walk on Facebook and thought it would be a really good thing to do because I am interested in raising awareness of epilepsy and spreading the word about what epilepsy is and how it affects people differently.”
If you would like to help out and raise awareness of epilepsy with Phoebe, more information about The Epilepsy Foundation and fundraiser registration is available at walkforepilepsy.org.au