We are absolutely delighted to share the news that there has been an Irish Recipient of the International Bureau for Epilepsy’s Golden Light Awards.
The IBE Golden Light Awards are bi-annual awards that recognise young people affected by epilepsy – either because they have epilepsy or have made a significant positive impact on the lives of others who have the condition.
As part of the awards process, Epilepsy Ireland could only put forward one nomination. At Epilepsy Ireland, we are fortunate to have incredible volunteers who go above and beyond to help raise awareness of epilepsy, and to support the work of Epilepsy Ireland.
We were in a privileged position in that we were spoilt for choice on who to choose, but in the end, we put forward Wayne O’Reilly from Wexford given his immense contributions in support of Epilepsy Ireland over the years as he is the definition of an incredible volunteer!
As part of the nomination process, we highlighted some of Wayne’s contributions to the IBE judging panel – and are delighted that they agreed his work is more than worthy of recognition. Wayne is just one of three recipients of the award this year – which saw incredible young people from across the globe being nominated.
Wayne is 30 years old and has been living with epilepsy since 2016 – and had surgery in 2021. Since being diagnosed, Wayne has been an incredible advocate for epilepsy awareness and Wayne has shared his personal story of his journey with epilepsy on our social media channels, directly with the media AND has fronted two of our #EpilepsyDay campaigns – most notably in 2022 when he donned a suit of armour to become “Sir Wayne of Wexford” in the name of epilepsy awareness. You can see that particular contribution in the video below:
Alongside his awareness raising efforts, Wayne has also been more than willing to put his shoulder to the wheel to help Epilepsy Ireland fundraise to support our work.
Wayne will officially receive his award at the opening ceremony of the International Epilepsy Congress in September, and we are delighted to have his outstanding contribution to EI acknowledged at such a prestigious event. It is an added bonus that it is happening on home soil!
We would like to offer our warmest congratulations to Wayne and once again, thank him for all the work he has done in support of epilepsy awareness and Epilepsy Ireland over the years.
Thank you, Wayne!
Further information
- Wayne is one of our media volunteers. Interested in joining our dedicated team of media volunteers? Visit the ‘Advocacy’ section of our website to learn more.
- A reminder that at the International Epilepsy Congress where Wayne will receive his reward, there will be the first ever public-facing events associated with the Congress. Want to attend? Visit the ‘International Epilepsy Congress’ section of our website to book your tickets!
- Want to learn more about the IBE’s Golden Light awards? Visit the International Bureau for Epilepsy website.