I am running to protect kids with Epilepsy

I'm so proud to be running on Team Danny Did, an organization that has been a pillar of support in my neighborhood for as long as I can remember. As a resident of Edgebrook, I can attest to the power of community and the strength that comes from building connections with our neighbors. In times of celebration and of tragedy, residents of our neighborhood are ready to cheer on from the sidelines or lend a helping hand. There is an assumed trust among those in our community that if we fall, someone will be there to catch us, and the Danny Did Foundation is an exemplary depiction of this very sentiment. Resilience and meaning-making are two foundational elements of Danny Did, and running a marathon almost perfectly parallels these themes, so I can think of no better way to honor both my community and this foundation.

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.