What Hollywood Stars Talk about Epilepsy
The Epilepsy Foundation’s National Epilepsy Awareness Month gets a boost from Paramount Pictures and JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions with a red carpet affair and after party for Morning Glory, starring Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, and Rachel McAdams.
The event benefits TalkAboutIt.org, created by Greg Grunberg (star of the upcoming NBC series ‘LOVE BITES’) in collaboration with the Epilepsy Foundation.
[ Also Read: What Celebs Do to Keep You Healthy ]Grunberg, the father of a child with epilepsy, and chair of the National Walk for Epilepsy since its inception, joins the Foundation to educate people about seizures, including the proper first aid of never putting anything in the mouth of someone having a seizure.
Epilepsy, affecting nearly 3 million Americans, is the third most common neurological disorder in the United States after Alzheimer’s disease and stroke.
Its prevalence is greater than cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease combined. One in every ten Americans have had, or will have, a seizure at some point in their lives.
This year’s National Epilepsy Awareness Month theme, Get Seizure Smart, calls for Americans to learn seizure recognition and first aid by taking an interactive quiz on www.GetSeizureSmart.org.
Epilepsy Foundation chapters across the country will host awareness events to educate local communities. Daily facts are also distributed on social networking sites.
Epilepsy is a condition producing seizures, which can range from a momentary disruption of the senses, to short periods of unconsciousness or staring spells, to convulsions.
A seizure happens when a brief, strong surge of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain. When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy. Currently there is no cure for epilepsy, says the Epilepsy Foundation.
The Epilepsy Foundation is a national nonprofit with local chapters across the United States.
The Foundation leads the fight to stop seizures, find a cure and overcome the challenges created by epilepsy.
TalkAboutIt.org is a collaborative effort between Greg Grunberg, the star of NBC’s Love Bites and father of a child with epilepsy, and the Epilepsy Foundation.
The site features stars of film, television and music (including Jennifer Garner, John Mayer, Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine, Kristen Bell and Hayden Panettiere) talking about how to help eliminate the misunderstanding about epilepsy and how to react to seizures.
