Monday 8 February was International Epilepsy Day. A day when organisations, charities and individuals from around the World joined together to highlight epilepsy and draw attention to the need for better public awareness and understanding, appropriate legislation, improved diagnosis and treatment services and increased research in order to better the lives of all those affected by epilepsy.
This year Hidden Disabilities collaborated with Epilepsy Society, the UK's leading charity for epilepsy research and support, to raise awareness of this hidden health condition. Little is known about the neurological condition, even though there are over half a million people with epilepsy in the UK - that’s around 1 in 100 people! Worldwide over 50 million people have epilepsy making it one of the most common neurological conditions globally.
Highlights from International Epilepsy week
Every day from 1 February to 8 February we've posted informative, key facts about epilepsy across our social media channels. The myth busting animation also provided some advice on how to help a person having a seizure. If you missed them and would like to find out about the different types of seizures, the posts and video can be found here.
The team at Hidden Disabilities Sunflower also enjoyed a training session, provided by the Epilepsy Society, where we learnt about the different types of seizures, causes and effects along with the best way to help someone having a seizure.
We also produced a new Epilepsy Sunflower card with key messaging around seizure first aid so the wearer can not only discreetly highlight their hidden disability but also share the type of help that they may need. These cards can be found in our online store
With every order of our Epilepsy Sunflower Card, we are sending a free Epilepsy Society Calm, Cushion, Call ID card, that can be attached to a lanyard so that in the event of a seizure the correct care can be given.
Throughout the week we've also been running a competition. The Hidden Words competition is a word search containing 30 hidden disabilities for you to find. There's still time to enter, if you haven't yet had the chance, but the competition must close on Sunday 14 February, so hurry! The winner of the £50 M&S voucher will be announced on 17 February. Good luck to everyone that took part. Access the wordsearch here.
This Sunday (14 February) heralds the premier of our new podcast series – the Sunflower Conversations. And the first topic is . . . you guessed it, Epilepsy! Tune in from Sunday to listen to Chantal and Paul speak with Hannah Wilson, it promises to be an interesting listen.
It's been a busy week at Hidden Disabilities but, as with all awareness days, what's really important is that we ensure that we continue supporting, informing and building awareness and understanding not just on one day but 365 days a year. Be kind.
Hidden hits the headlines
Here are some press coverage highlights we thought you'd be interested to read: