Team Danny Did in the 2018 Bank of America Chicago Marathon

Thank you for stopping by my fundraising page! The 2018 Chicago Marathon will mark my fourth marathon (third time running Chicago) and my first time running for the Danny Did Foundation. I am overjoyed to be a part of this organization. Training for and running a 26.2-mile race is special enough, but doing it for a charity that works to save lives of people with epilepsy makes it so much better.

This year, I am running for my four-year-old nephew. William lives in Australia and was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 18 months old. From his experiences, I learned that not all seizures look the same (did you know that there are about 40 different types?), and I also saw from a first-hand account just how difficult it can be to treat. My husband's brother and his wife endured a grueling year of trial and error with different medications, vitamins, and diets before they were able to find the perfect combination of two medicines that were able to control his seizures. These medicines come with side effects that impact multiple aspects of William's life (e.g., appetite, sleep patterns, mood), but there is the peace of mind knowing that his seizures are gone.

I want to run on behalf of children who fight every day like William and for their parents and other family members who are right there with them.

For more on William's story, please see this website (https://www.onepieceatatime.com.au/sharing-your-story/more-than-epilepsy) and follow my sister-in-law as she chronicles their life on Instagram and Facebook at "More Than Epilepsy".

Thank you,

Jennifer

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 impacted 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 nearly 3 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 impacted by the disorder, is that seizures can be fatal. More people die as a result of seizures than from fires and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) combined. The causes of death can vary and include drowning, other accidents and status epilepticus (prolonged seizures). In addition, thousands of deaths occur annually from SUDEP, a fact that is little known and too rarely addressed in public and in medical circles. The name of the Danny Did Foundation originates from the last line of Danny Stanton's obituary, written by his dad: "Please go and enjoy your life. Danny did."