Candlelight Concert for Epilepsy

Eric Miller’s wife, Carolina, was 25 years old when she passed away in August 2011 as a result of SUDEP. Since her passing last summer, Eric has been working on The Candlelight Concert for Epilepsy, which will honor those that have been lost to SUDEP and those that continue the daily struggle with epilepsy.

The Concert
The Candlelight Concert for Epilepsy Awareness will be held on March 24, 2012 at The Patriots Theater in Trenton. The evening will feature a rare acoustic set by Dennis DeYoung of Styx, Marshall Crenshaw, Mary Fahl (of October Project), Dan Reed (of Dan Reed Network), Corey Glover (of Living Colour), Emily Grove, classical violinist and epilepsy advocate Martha Curtis and more. As well as being talented and celebrated artists, each performer holds a personal significance to Eric and Carolina’s life together.

“Almost immediately after Carolina’s passing, I reached out the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey to begin work on this project. I thought it was a positive way to direct the tempest of emotions I was feeling and help me along in the grieving process.” explained Eric Miller.

SUDEP
SUDEP is Sudden and Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. The exact cause of SUDEP is not yet known. Epilepsy is often controlled through daily medication, still according to the Epilepsy Foundation, 1 out of 1,000 patients with epilepsy die unexpectedly each year. In those with uncontrolled epilepsy, the risk of SUDEP increases to 1 out of every 150 patients.

Benefit Epilepsy
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey (EFNJ) and the Epilepsy Foundation of America (EFA) and will be directed specifically towards national research, emergency medication, and public and professional awareness.

Tickets vary in price ranging from $45 to $180 and can be purchased at www.comcasttix.com. The $180 VIP ticket includes an autographed poster and exclusive meet & greet with the performers. For more information on the Candlelight Concert for Epilepsy Awareness or Carolina’s story, please visit www.candlelightconcert.org.

To order tickets click here.

More info
More info can be found at www.CandlelightConcert.org. And you can read an interview with Eric, by the Epilepsy Blogger.

Jessica K. Smith Founder and CEO; Executive Director

Jessica Keenan Smith is a patient advocate and epilepsy community leader with more than 15 years of experience. As Founder and CEO of Living Well With Epilepsy and Executive Director of ASENT she bridges the gap between the scientific and patient communities, with a particular focus on the needs of the epilepsies. Jessica Keenan Smith is Founder and CEO of Living Well With Epilepsy, an award winning online resource for people affected by epilepsy to share stories and access in-depth information on the disease. Since 2009, Living Well With Epilepsy (https://livingwellwithepilepsy.com) has been featured in Forbes, Wired, NBC, NPR and the cover story of Epilepsy Advocate Magazine and has partnered with companies such as UCB, Lundbeck, Sunovion, Eisai, and more. Ms. Smith is also the Executive Director of the American Society for Experimental Neurotherapeutics (ASENT) (https://asent.org), an organization that brings together leaders from industry, academia, government and advocacy who are engaged in bringing drugs and devices to market across all neurologic disease states. In this role she is responsible for leading a successful scientific journal and annual scientific conference with speakers from all over the world.

See Full Bio