I am running to raise SUDEP awareness in honor of Molly

My name is Maggie Calvert. I am running my first (!!!) marathon in honor of my little sister, Molly, who died from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy on May 8th, 2023 at 24 years old. Since losing Molly, my family recognized a problem facing the epilepsy community. Neurologists aren't talking about SUDEP. We're committed to telling Molly's story and articulating the importance of SUDEP awareness. My run is for Molly and every person who has lost their life to epilepsy.

Molly is the baby of the Calvert family. She was a nurse who cared deeply about her patients and their life experiences. She had a special ability to include everyone and make them feel valued. Some things that make me think of her are Ed Sheeran music, Dunkin coffee, sending friends a Venmo for a coffee when they're sad or having a bad day, the smell of sunscreen, and Monarch butterflies.

We loved to sing in the car and go shopping together. When we were little, we shared a room and sometimes pushed our beds together to make one big one. We stayed up late talking about anything and everything. Losing her has felt like losing a part of myself. I'll be using the training miles and race to think about how proud of me she would be, our life together, and how much I love and miss her.

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 Foundation's 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.