May 20th to 26th marked National Epilepsy Week 2024.
Our activities across the week were supported by our incredible volunteers sharing their lived experience of epilepsy. These stories are powerful tools in raising awareness of epilepsy and helping the public learn more about the condition. You can read some of the fantastic stories we shared below.
- Watch Kate’s story on our website
- Read Leah’s story on our website
- Read Michelle’s story on our website
- Read A Parent's story on our website
Thank you to each of our volunteers for sharing these powerful experiences, which we have no doubt has helped educate so many about the realities of the condition. If you are interested in sharing your story in the future, become a media volunteer for Epilepsy Ireland. You can find further details on this by visiting the 'Awareness' section of our website.
In addition to sharing the stories on the lived experience with epilepsy, we also published our new seizure first aid posters which highlight the three important words of TIME, SAFE, STAY. You can read more about this - and download our new posters - by visiting the 'News' section of our website.
Finally, during National Epilepsy Week, we also released a media statement releasing new findings on public awareness and attitudes to epilepsy in Ireland. While many positives could be found within the survey findings, there is still a concerning lack of knowledge around how to correctly respond to a seizure. We hope that the release of these findings - which was covered by national and local media - helps encourage everyone to learn more about epilepsy and seizure first aid. You can read the statement we released by visiting the 'News' section of our website.
While Epilepsy Week has come to a close, every day is a day to raise awareness of epilepsy - a condition which affects over 45,000 people in Ireland. If you would like to learn more about epilepsy, visit the 'Epilepsy Information' section of our website; if you would like to learn more about Time, Safe, Stay and seizure first aid, visit the 'Seizure First Aid' section of our website; and finally, if you are a person with epilepsy who would like to be more open about the condition, visit the 'How2Tell' section of our website.
Thank you to everyone for your support for #EpilepsyWeek - together, we can achieve a society where no person's life is limited by epilepsy.