November is Epilepsy Awareness month 30 days that we spread awareness by educating as many people as we can about Epilepsy, Seizures and the dangers of SUDEP. It’s something that we should do every day, not just for 30 days out of the year. It’s a time for advocates and parents to have their voices heard.

Nearly 3 million people in the United States have epilepsy and more than 65 million people worldwide have epilepsy.  More than 300,000 people with epilepsy are under the age of 14 and more than 500,000 are over the age of 65. While most people with this Disorder live a full life, potential factors associated with Epilepsy and Seizures do increase the risk of early mortality. Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy [SUDEP] accounts for 10% of all Epilepsy-related deaths; 85% of these fatalities occur between the ages of 20 -50.

SUDEP incidence is approximately 1 in 1000 people with Epilepsy annually-more than 10 times the sudden death rate found in the general population. According to statistics, there are 150,000 new cases of epilepsy in the United States every year. We need a CURE!!!!

Monday, November 2nd at the beautiful Villa Verone Ristorante in Geneva, IL owned by Pietro Verone we had our “Bridge of Hope” Fundraising Dinner and an opportunity to spread awareness about the importance of advocating and spreading awareness because it starts with us. It was a fun night and enjoyed by our guests and those that showed their support. Support is crucial not just for parents but for all of us that are embarking on this journey for it’s not an easy journey, but it does come with many blessings in spite of some struggles.

Guests were greeted by our Photographer David Joseph as they arrived capturing their photograph with family or friends. Here are a few pictures to share of some of our guests.

 

Our Emcee for the evening was ABC 7 Chicago News Journalist John Garcia who did a wonderful job of hosting and keeping our event running smoothly with the help of two beautiful assistants.

We had an amazing Silent Auction thanks to Mark Childers of Pro Promotions and one of our guests, in particular, was very happy to be able to leave that night with Captain Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks.

The food was superb, the waitstaff amazing we can not thank them enough for the outstanding service they gave us and our guests  Our centerpieces by Dahlia Blooms Design were gorgeous we were grateful to be able to send them home with some very special people.

 

We were very blessed to have Mr. Peter DiCianni as our guest speaker for the evening and he spoke so eloquently and heartfelt about the needs of parents and why it is so important to rally behind them and fight for what our kids need. It was such a pleasure to have him, his wife Rosemarie and his beautiful Daughter Brianna.

The highlight of the evening for me was being able to give out our very first “Warrior Spirit Award” we chose 9-year-old Tessa Mary Garcia who was diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes June of 2014. Since then and even before she was diagnosed Tessa has always shown an amazing heart and spirit for those in need. She has raised thousands of dollars for the JDRF, the American Heart Association and for her school through various fundraisers.

We were honored to have Tessa be the recipient of our first award because one thing we believe strongly in is giving back and Tessa has given back to so many by putting their needs before her own. Tessa, we are so proud of you and it was an honor to not only give you this award  but to allow your Father to be the one to present it to you. I am so grateful to Things Remembered for giving us the beautiful Plaque we gave Tessa it now hans proudly in her room at home. We hope it will be a memory she and her Daddy will cherish forever.

Thank you to John Garcia for hosting and to everyone that supported, sponsored, and joined us for every child is a gift and blessing and every milestone is a reason to celebrate. For more information on Epilepsy or if you wish to donate to our cause and support our mission go to epilepsywarriors.org