INDIANAPOLIS — More than 70,000 Hoosiers are currently living with epilepsy. It’s a neurological disorder that causes seizures. There is no cure, but one local group is trying to change that.
On Saturday, the Epilepsy Foundation Indiana hosted the Walk to End Epilepsy at Butler University. This was one of the largest years yet with more than $25,000 raised for epilepsy research, and that number is still growing with more people donating now.
One of this year’s participants was Bella Bauer who learned she had epilepsy during a math test in fifth grade. Now she’s using her story to advocate for others.
“We don’t talk about epilepsy enough and it's not out in the community and [we need more] advocacy,” she said. “People don't really know how to handle someone having a seizure and things like that, so I really want to bring that advocacy and efforts toward people with epilepsy to know they are not alone and bringing light to this community.”
Bauer recently started The Purple Project. It’s all to help people living with epilepsy connect with one another and share each other’s stories.
“I started my website because I wanted to advocate for kids like me who felt like they didn't have someone to look up to or someone to talk to and they needed help in that diagnosis, so I started my project,” she said. “Walking through a diagnosis of epilepsy is all so different for every person. There is not one singular story that defines everyone’s life. I think that's really important, bringing that awareness and helping them to know they are not alone and they have a community.”
Donations are still being accepted for the Walk to End Epilepsy with the ultimate goal of raising $35,000 for this year’s campaign. To donate, click here. And to learn more about The Purple Project, click here.