Biking 40 miles for seizures
Why am I riding a 40 mile bike-a-thon through all of NYC this year? To raise desperately needed funds for Epilepsy Free, a wonderful not-for-profit organization that is struggling. Let me explain why Epilepsy Free is fantastic and needs to stick around.
It is one of the few not-for-profits that provides scholarships for children and adults who suffer from seizures with no "state of residence restriction" and as a result, applicantions can come from all over the US and they do! Over the last few years, Epilepsy Free has been able to grant scholarships to many, many children who suffer from seizures and needed help to pay for the pricy specialized camps they needed to attend.
The other thing that makes Epilepsy Free unique is that it grants continuing education scholarships (college, trade) to adults with ALL TYPES of seizures. This includes persons with Epilepsy AND those with Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES).
Epilepsy is incredibly a very stigmatized illness even in the 21st century and PNES is an orphan seizure disorder because it falls between neurology and psychology/psychiatry. Epilepsy Free supports ALL seizure disorders under its umbrella.
When do I need your contributions by? I ride on May 1, 2016 with three other brave ladies so please try to help out before this date.
Why am I doing this? Because I have worked with people with seizure disorders for over 10 years as a psychologist and neuropsychologist at the Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group and I am the Exectuive Director of Epilepsy Free. I know how badly these funds are needed. So I have decided to get out there and train and ride my patootie off for this cause!
Thank you in advance for any size donation you can give! Lorna