END EPILEPSY

About a year and a half ago, I participated as a board member with the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles in a presentation to an organization here in Los Angeles called Women in Film. Along with two other women, I told my story of Sophie's diagnosis and our life living with her seizure disorder. Some of the women in the audience cried openly and nearly all told us later how moved they were.

We didn't know, someone said.

Our organization won the grant and Women in Film produced this amazing and very intense public service announcement. There are four of them -- three depict a different type seizure and the long one is a sort of summary of the campaign to END EPILEPSY. I hope you've seen it on national television, but if you haven't, here you go (and watch the other three on YouTube):

Do me a favor, and pass it on.

Public Service Announcement

I was involved a while back in presenting my "story" to a group called Women in Film. I think I wrote a post about it somewhere, but I just don't remember. What happened is that the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles, of which I serve on the board, won a free public service announcement from this group of incredible female filmmakers. The PSA will air nationally during November, which is National Epilepsy Month, so please be on the look-out for it if you watch television. Hopefully, I'll be able to post it here on the blog as well.

The Epilepsy Foundation of America is having a big shindig this weekend in Long Beach, and as their hosts, our affiliate used the occasion to "launch" the now-completed PSA.

Wow.

It's the most amazing, intense commercial I think I've ever seen. The woman who made it, Katie Davison, introduced it and thanked yours truly for my story, for making her cry and for inspiring her. Sophie and I were at the back of the room, and I cried a little at being thanked. I cried a little more when I watched the rough cut of the advertisement and then a little more when everyone in the crowd stood up and applauded Katie and all the people who worked on it.

During all the hoopla, Sophie had a really big seizure. No one really noticed (and I wanted it that way) but I was tempted for a second to shout out Everyone turn around and look! THIS! This is what it is. You don't need a PSA because you can see this!


But I didn't. I took Sophie and sort of slid out of the room. We got on the highway a few minutes later and sped back toward LA. I cried a lot more, then.