I am running to raise money for epilepsy research, treatments, and awareness.

Greetings everyone!

This year I will be running the Chicago Marathon to raise money for Epilepsy research, treatments, and awareness.

Epilepsy is a disease which has touched my family closely for decades. My Aunt Rosie, now 53, has lived with severe epilepsy since she was just 1.5 years old.

She has both intractable and refractory epilepsy, and all hemispheres of her brain are affected.

Thankfully, Rosie was a candidate for a Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) back in 2005 which has since improved her condition. This is part of why I am so eager so raise money, so that we can continue to find groundbreaking treatments and advances in technology.

In Rosie's own words, living with epilepsy is hard not only because of seizure activity, but because of the stigmas that often come with the disease and the way in which those who suffer from it are treated differently. With this in mind, I hope many of the funds we raise will also go to education and awareness.

Despite the obstacles in her way, Rosie stays quite busy! She volunteers with a program called FLYCA in Florida where she is able to mentor young adults, is active with her church, and very much enjoys baking in her spare time.

My ultimate hope is that through fundraising, we can improve the quality of life of those living with epilepsy and ultimately find a cure.

About Danny Did Foundation

Founded by Chicago parents Mike and Mariann Stanton in 2010 after the sudden death of their four-year-old son Danny, the Danny Did Foundations primary mission is to prevent deaths caused by seizures. The Foundation advances public awareness of epilepsy and Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), strives to improve communication about SUDEP between medical professionals and families affected by seizures, and advocates for the mainstream acceptance and use of seizure detection and prediction devices that may assist in preventing seizure-related deaths.

Epilepsy affects 3.4 million people in the United States and 65 million people worldwide. One in 26 Americans will develop epilepsy during their lifetime. But what few people understand, including many people with epilepsy, is that seizures can be fatal. More people die as a result of seizures than from fires and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) combined. In addition to deaths caused by drowning, other accidents, and status epilepticus (prolonged seizures), thousands of deaths occur annually from SUDEP, a fact that is little known and too rarely addressed by medical professionals and in public discussions of epilepsy. Danny Did Foundation takes its name from the last line of Danny Stanton’s obituary, written by his dad: “Please go and enjoy your life. Danny did.” We celebrate Danny’s spirit in every child and family we reach.