I am running to Protect Kids with Epilepsy

For years I have lived with focal bilateral tonic clonic seizures, a type of seizure that disrupted my sleep while I remained aware of what was happening. I experienced my first seizure at 11 years old and was diagnosed with epilepsy at 12. Even after diagnosis, the seizures continued throughout my childhood and high school.

During those years, I ran a total of ten seasons of cross country and track. As a deeply dedicated high school athlete, it was especially challenging when epilepsy interfered with my training and racing. There were days when I physically couldn’t make it to practice or complete a run after a seizure. Other days, I chose to race anyway, even when it felt like I was running through sludge. At one point, I missed over a month of my track season after suffering a concussion caused by a seizure.

Now, after seven years, I am seizure free for the longest stretch since my diagnosis. I am incredibly grateful for the medical care and support I have received along the way. I am fundraising for the Danny Did Foundation and running the Chicago Marathon this fall as someone who knows firsthand how powerful persistence, hope, and community can be.

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.