Martha Williams
Please consider passing this Act – One story can make a difference
Location of Story - Hanscom AFB School within the Lincoln School district
Hello! My child is a fifth grader at Hanscom AFB. Their dad is a Colonel in the US Army. We have traveled all over the world as a military family and seen many different healthcare providers. Our fifth grader lives with Epilepsy. While her seizures are controlled, she did have her first seizures during her first years of life and it affects her overall quality of life. This is a chronic health condition we have navigated as a family.
Over the years, we have learned to develop solid relationships with the school nurses at the schools our children attend. In the military the community is your family, this includes the schools. Most recently in 2024, we had shared with Nurse Amanda at Hanscom School (K – 8th grade) about the opportunity to have a seizure first aid training offered by EF of New England. Did you know one can get seizure first aid certified online, through a live course or in-house training? We are fortunate enough that Nurse Amanda was on board and offered a district-wide training in November 2024 (November is Epilepsy Awareness Month) for the Lincoln School district. She also shared the schools were seeing more children with seizure disorders and it was something teachers would inquire about.
Epilepsy does not discriminate. 1 in 10 people will have a seizure in their lifetime and 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy. The push to mandate seizure first aid training is now. Seizures can be life-threatening. SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy) affects 1 in 1000 individuals living with epilepsy. This is a public health crisis. We can encourage seizure first aid in our schools, communities, and society while using awareness and education as a prevention method for SUDEP.
Look at how widespread first aid and CPR training are offered and recognized as best practices. If you are a babysitter you seek these trainings, imagine a world where seizure first aid training is in the same category.
The time is now. I urge you to endorse and pass Seizure Safe Schools for any state that has not already done so. My mother also went through the Seizure Safe Schools training because she is a teacher in New Jersey. I am amazed at how this training can help anyone feel more comfortable when faced with a seizure or helping someone with a seizure even if they know about epilepsy.
We all face different seasons of our life. We navigate them best when we do it together.
Please do not hesitate to contact EFNE for additional information!
#military spouse living in MASS
Thank you for consideration of passing this bill!