Welcome to EFMN’s Spotlight Series!
It’s National Epilepsy Awareness Month and the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota (EFMN) is taking this time to shine the spotlight on our Regional Outreach Managers who live out our mission every day, connecting individuals and families to real resources in our communities, ensuring no one journeys with epilepsy alone.
Did you know we have five Regional Outreach Managers working across the state? Our Outreach Managers live in the same communities they serve. Because of these amazing leaders, EFMN is able to be there for those who need us; no matter who, no matter where, no matter when.
It is the first week of Epilepsy Awareness Month and we would like to introduce to you Lisa Necastro! Lisa is our newest Regional Outreach Manager and has been with the organization for eight months. She lives and works in our western region. When she’s not cooking her favorite lasagna dish, or hiking state parks with her family, Lisa is cuddling her dog, Bear, who is a German Shepherd/Anatolian Shepherd mix. Read below to learn all about Lisa and her work helping families find grants to pay for seizure detection devices.
Lisa, can you tell us about an impactful moment you’ve had working as a regional manager?
I helped a family find grants to provide a seizure alert device. This helped ease the parents’ minds since they had been staying up all night every night due to their child’s nighttime seizures. After they were able to get the device, they were able to have enough peace of mind to finally get some sleep and worry a little less.
What EFMN services do you wish more people knew about?
I wish more people knew about our events that we have throughout the year. We have in-person events all over the state for people to connect with others impacted by epilepsy.
What connects you most to the EFMN mission?
Each time I provide Seizure Smart Training for schools or organizations, I can see people gaining knowledge about seizure recognition and how to respond when someone is having a seizure and every time a new parent or person with epilepsy joins a connect group for the first time and they see that they do not have to journey alone through this diagnosis, EFMN is exemplifying the mission.