Warning - I'm Begging for Money!

OK - here's your warning… I’m going to turn up the guilt with a sob story and beg for your money! Yes, it’s that time again! Time for the Epilepsy Freedom Walk 2006; Team “Jenelle’s Avocados” needs YOU!
~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was in the late afternoon on September 8, 2003 when Epilepsy first touched my life. Actually, it may have been a few months before that, but that was the day our doctor called to inform me that our 11 month old daughter was having “many, many” seizures and that she had Epilepsy.

When I first heard the words Epilepsy, I felt relieved. I knew other people who had Epilepsy. They simply took medication and they were fine. They were “normal.” However, little did I know that would not be the case for our Jenelle. Her “many, many” seizures turned out to be more than 100 seizures a day. We were hearing words like “difficult to control”, “short life expectancy” and “mental retardation.” I had no idea that Epilepsy could be so devastating, and obviously, I really didn’t know as much about it as I thought.

It has been a long fight with as many as 10 different medications, sometimes 4 medications at a time. Our Jenelle finally gained significant, but not complete, seizure control in June of 2005. We could not have survived that time without the resources of the Epilepsy Alliance of Orange County (“EAOC”). Through the EAOC, we gained support from other parents, education and advice from leading doctors from all around the world and advocacy for Jenelle in dealing with her school regarding her seizures. All at no cost to us.

The Epilepsy Freedom Walk is the EAOC’s biggest fund raiser of the year. Over 32,000 people in Orange County have Epilepsy. Approximately 10,000 of that 32,000 do not have seizure control. The EAOC provides more than 25 programs for people affected by Epilepsy in and around Orange County. Please help Team “Jenelle’s Avocados” in supporting the EAOC with your donation or by joining our team for the walk to bring in more donations. You can even be a “virtual walker” which means you can join “Jenelle’s Avocados” as a walker even though you may not be able to attend the walk in person. As a “virtual walker” you can solicit your own donations to help our team and the EAOC.

We should not lose another moment to Epilepsy. Please help us support this worthy cause! Click on the "Step Up" for Epilepsy box below to go to our team page. A box will also remain at the introduction at the top. Thank you for your interest and support!