Help Arissa raise money

On June 15th 2022, I had my first seizure, by the end of the day I had a few more and a new diagnosis of epilepsy. My life changed forever in the middle of a regular work day, I lost my freedom of driving/independence and became lonely, in the sense that I had no one who understood anything I was going through.

Working in a new setting where I began talking with hundreds of strangers a night, I quickly learned that once you start talking about seizures, everyone either knows someone that has them, or they’ve had them before themselves! I also learned 1 in 26 people will be diagnosed with Epilepsy in their life.  YES, it is that common, that is the statistic. Yet still, there is no “cure” to epilepsy. It is something that can become controlled, but one will live with for the rest of their life. 

Moving to Cincinnatti was a game changer for my epilepsy. I am SO grateful to have an epileptologist in a level 4 neurology center and have found a local community within the Epilepsy Alliance Ohio!

Epilepsy Alliance Ohio provides education, support, assistance, community, and so much more than I even know for every single person with epilepsy that they are fortunate enough to be able to. Which is a LOT of people, as they partner with the neurology departments at both the Children’s and University hospitals in Cincinnatti and Columbus.

I am forever grateful to have found the organization through our local support group I lovingly call “seizure club” and have since been able to volunteer my time to the outdoor/overnight camp they organize THREE times a year, for kids and counselors with epilepsy. We ALL know medical expenses in this country are insane, yet cost nor complex medical conditions are never a reason for any kid to attend camp, and that’s why I am here today. I want to send TEN kids to camp this summer.

I am now, maybe accidentally, running in The Flying Pig Marathon as a member of the Epilepsy Alliance Team 1 in 26!! Where 26 of us, kids and adults, with epilepsy will each be running a mile in the marathon as a relay to raise awareness of epilepsy and how common it really is, where at the end we will all join back together for the final 0.2 miles and cross the finish line all together! 

Epilepsy Alliance Ohio is covering the cost of registration and so much more, for our opportunity to be a part of this marathon, a MAJOR annual event in Ohio — so I’m looking to raise $4,000 to get 10 kids to camp this summer so I can teach them how to shoot an arrow, rock climb a wall, catch some fish, ride a horse, and race down a zip line without having to worry about their seizures as a barrier to the fun. 

To learn more about Camp Flame Catcher and Epilepsy Alliance Ohio, visit https://epilepsy-ohio.org/programs-services/camp-flame-catcher/camp-flame-catcher/