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"My 19-year-old son, Mickey died this past fall of 2007 after suffering aseizure. It rendered him unconscious and he fell into our pool and drowned. Noone heard a thing and there were people around -- it was a silent killer. Irealized then how little people know about this disorder that affects somany," said Hunter Tylo of CBS' The Bold and The Beautiful, who also serves asnational spokesperson for AEOF.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, epilepsyaffects an estimated 2.7 million people in the United States and 40 to 50million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).Each year, about 200,000 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed in the UnitedStates. Epilepsy costs about $15.5 billion in medical expenses and lost orreduced earnings and productivity each year. More than one-third of peoplewith epilepsy continue to have seizures despite treatment. Seizures resultwhen the brain produces a sudden surge of electrical energy that interruptsbrain functions. There is currently no cure for epilepsy and each yearseizures are responsible for up to 42,000 deaths, according to the NationalInstitute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Through its website, epilepsyoutreach.org, AEOF offers information ondetecting and treating seizure disorders, first-aid information for someoneexperiencing a seizure, support programs for individual sufferers and theirfamilies, and links to related resources and medical news.
AEOF was founded by Erin and Patrick Leyden and Patrick's sister, AnneMarie Clancy, all of Chicago, Ill., after the Leyden's youngest son, Emmett,was diagnosed with Epilepsy. Emmett Leyden, now 4, has a severe form of thedisorder and suffered up to 200 Epileptic seizures a day.
"Before Emmett began suffering from seizures, we knew absolutely nothingabout epilepsy," said Erin Leyden. "After the diagnosis, we were verydiscouraged by the lack of information and assistance offered to people whosuffer from this disorder and their families. It is our goal to provide thismuch-needed support and to educate the public on first aid for seizures --because, one day when Emmett and the millions of others who suffer fromepilepsy might need to rely on the public to help them, I want to make surethe public knows what to do when they witness a seizure."
Public facilities and individual businesses can order posters andbrochures from AEOF that list the first-aid procedures for responding tosomeone experiencing a seizure.
FIRST AID FOR CONVULSIVE SEIZURES
A Convulsive Seizure is also known as a Tonic-Clonic Seizure, formerlyreferred to as a Grand Mal Seizure. At the start of a seizure, the person maycry out, then usually stiffens and falls. Their arms and legs may jerk ortwitch. You will not be able to rouse them (and do not try). Seizuresgenerally last a few minutes, but can sometimes go on for much longer. Duringthe seizure the person will often turn blue in the face.
At the end of a seizure, convulsing will stop, the person usually takes adeep breath, natural color returns and they slowly "wake up." The person isoften confused and may not know where they are for a short while afterward.
To contact the American Epilepsy Outreach Foundation, visitepilepsyoutreach.org or call 773.456.7729.
About AEOF
The American Epilepsy Outreach Foundation (AEOF) is a registered 501(c)(3)non-profit organization located in Chicago, Ill., and established in honor ofEmmett Leyden, a four-year-old boy who is living with epilepsy. Founded in2008, the orga
