Talk About It! NEAM 2009

November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month!
Purple is the color for Epilepsy.


According to most recent estimates, seizures and epilepsy will develop in 200,000 otherwise healthy Americans of all ages this year.

In 1995, the last year for which complete data are available, 2.3 million Americans had been diagnosed with epilepsy, had been taking anticonvulsant medication for at least five years, or had experienced an unprovoked seizure (a seizure not associated with an acute nervous system insult such as high fever, infection or head trauma).

Of these 2.3 million, 1.4 million were adults aged 15 to 64 years and 550,000 were citizens aged 65 and over.

Most poignant, 300,000 were children aged 14 years and younger-children in the prime of life and at a crucial stage in their educational and social development.

Almost 3 million Americans now have epilepsy.

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Not a day goes by that I don't think about seizures. Is today the day Jenelle has a big seizure? Is today another day where she won't have a seizure? Will today be the day Jenelle's seizures change? Epilepsy is like the 5th member of our family. We live with it daily, but it doesn't control our lives or what we do with Jenelle.

Jenelle is who she is because of her seizures. Her seizures have left her mentally retarded and developmentally delayed. She has lost her chance at a normal life because of her seizures. To help Jenelle have a better life, we talk about her Epilepsy as much as we can, so people can understand why she is the way she is. We try to help parents going through the same thing. We advocate for a better life for Jenelle.

Talk About It! is a new organization spearheaded by Actor Greg Grunberg who is the parent of a child with Epilepsy. Greg has organized all of his Hollywood friends to help spread the word about Epilepsy. I couldn't say it better than the website, so please visit Talk About It.Org for more information about Epilepsy.

Wear purple, donate to your local Epilepsy group and most important... TALK ABOUT IT!

Every moment lost to seizures is a moment lost in brain development. Help us fight this monster from stealing precious moments in development from our little girl.

THANK YOU!