A Quick Post

This is going to be fast today, because we are leaving at 7:45 a.m. for Strongsville to attend the Epilepsy Walk at the mall there.  This is about the fourth year we've been doing this, I think, or maybe even the fifth.

The Epilepsy Association in Cleveland sponsors the event which starts at 9:00 a.m., before the mall stores are open.  Representatives from the Cleveland Clinic, Rainbow Babies & Children, specially trained individuals with dogs that warn of an impending seizure, and many local organizations (including a dance team) come and set up tables.  There are prizes and demonstrations and of course, walking.  This year they added a two mile walk to get people going a little faster.  Mostly, we saunter. 

Ella, my granddaughter, wears her special shirt identifying her as a person with epilepsy, and she is joined by her cousins, Lauren, Lissie, Emmy, and her brother, Drew.  And then there are four grandparents, two aunts and two uncles, plus mom and dad.  We have a little coffee at the end of the walk, and share conversation as we go about the mall.  One of the Fox 8 Cleveland news personalities is usually there because Bill Martin has a special place in his heart for epilepsy.

Last year, the event was a little quiet compared to the first year they did it.  As we came down one of the mall walkways, the dance team was doing their thing.  Ella, Lissie, Emmy, and Drew stood mesmerized as the girls went through their routine accompanied by boom box music.  Ella started moving with the rhythm and two of the girls came out of the group and held out their hands to her.  She went with them happily and danced with the team!  It was just wonderful.  I was so impressed with the maturity of these girls, who also did face painting.  They treated Ella like a princess.

Lauren watched and you could tell she wanted to dance too, but she was feeling somewhat shy so she stayed back.  I'm hoping this year she decides to throw caution to the wind and give it a whirl.

One thing the event does is it makes you realize that you are hardly alone in this fight.  It makes you realize that there are people out there who care and are making a difference.  And it is good for the whole family, Ella's family, to get together.

So as I have come to realize that epilepsy is far more common than people realize, please think about all of us at the walk and all of the parents who are dealing with this disorder daily.