American Epilepsy Outreach Foundation

  ”In 1993 when our eleven month old son Charlie had his first seizures 
and my then friend and attorney learned of our fear and agony, he 
never said a word.  That wouldn’t be so remarkable were it not for 
the fact that he, too, had a son with a seizure disorder.  You see, 
he was embarrassed.  He didn’t want the stigma.  It wasn’t worth it 
to him to “out” his son in order to pass on information and comfort. 
He was merely proliferating a tradition of silence and misinformation 
that was centuries old.

Today, thanks to organizations like The American Epilepsy Outreach 
Foundation, parent organized groups around the world are creating a 
revolution.  It is hard to find a support group or a research project 
or an information center that isn’t parent initiated.  Instead of 
cowering, the hurt fostered from watching the suffering of our 
children is being channeled into help for others.  We still have a 
long way to go. It is estimated that between two and three million 
Americans suffer from epilepsy and there are 50,000 epilepsy related 
deaths annually.  So I would like to thank The American Epilepsy 
Outreach Foundation, and Emmett Leyden and his family for all the 
good they are doing today and for all those who will benefit from their 
work in the future.”

                                                                                            Jim Abrahams
                 The Charlie Foundation To Help Cure Pediatric Epilepsy