My Four Words reminds us we are not alone

On March 31, an estimated 5,000 people affected by epilepsy came together on the National Mall in Washington, DC, to participate in the Epilepsy Foundation’s Sixth National Walk for Epilepsy.

At the walk, UCB, debuted the “My Four Words” project, challenging attendees to express their personal journey with epilepsy in just four words. The “My Four Words” project generated buzz and spurred conversation about a condition that is often misunderstood. Caregivers, friends and family members also contributed their four words to the project.

See the photos
To view more photos of participants creating their My Four Words posters visit the gallery here:
http://www.flickr.com//photos/76563708@N02/show/

The hundreds of people living with epilepsy who shared their four words represented the nearly 2.2 million people in the U.S. living with this chronic neurological disorder. Their words communicated challenges and triumphs, expressed the importance of raising awareness, honored loved ones and inspired those living with epilepsy to continue striving for seizure control.

Tony Coelho’s Words
“The ‘My Four Words’ project was a great way to ignite dialogue about a condition that is too often silenced,” said Former Rep. Tony Coelho (D-Calif.), interim CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation.  “The National Walk for Epilepsy brought people together and inspired attendees, and the nation, to talk about epilepsy and the importance of seizure control.”
 
Epilepsy Foundation Survey
If you participated in the walk this year, please complete the Epilepsy Foundation’s survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2012efwalksurvey

What are your Four Words?
Personally, I can think of a few:
We Need a Cure
Living Well With Epilepsy
and I do love the one in the picture above You Are Not Alone

But I want to hear your four. Comment below so we can share them!

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

Epilepsy