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The Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota Blog

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Sheina Showen – Using the Voice You Have

- Thriving with Epilepsy

Seina Showen, a school nurse in Hermantown, uses advocacy to promote classroom trainings and increase epilepsy awareness and education.

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Janine, Tabitha, Bill Atwell

Atwell Family – A Legacy For Living a Full Life With Epilepsy

- Thriving with Epilepsy

The Atwell’s lost their daughter Stephanie to Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), but are now helping others live a full life with epilepsy.

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Epilepsy Awareness Month: Oanh’s Blog Post

- Epilepsy Awareness Month

As the parents of a young son with epilepsy, we are humbled by the individuals and organizations who have become a part of our lives and have had a hand in helping raise our child. Our son, Jack, now ten years old, was diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy, at the age of four.

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DEI Committee Member Spotlight – Dr. Nitin Agarwal

- Organization Updates

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee helps us better serve communities of color, Native communities, individuals living with complex and rare epilepsies, and communities marginalized through social, economic, and political barriers as well as health care providers working most directly with these populations. Dr. Nitin Agarwal is the Medical

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Epilepsy Awareness Month: Dean’s Blog Post

- Epilepsy Awareness Month

Our journey with epilepsy began about 35 years ago when Marcia had a grand mal seizure.  

That journey has been difficult many times, when promising medications suddenly lose their effectiveness and break-through seizures occur.  The journey begins anew whenever a change in medication is warranted.  

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Epilepsy Awareness Month: Amber’s Blog Post

- Epilepsy Awareness Month

When I graduated as a Registered Nurse 15 years ago, the online resources like nursing apps for your phone, epilepsy websites, and Facebook groups weren’t quite as easy to come by as they are now.

Seizures were scary to me. There were medications that needed to be given daily, certain diets to help with seizures and then there were the medications to give if my client was having a seizure! And that may have been their only diagnosis or only just one of them.

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Epilepsy Awareness Month: Kaylee’s Blog Post

- Epilepsy Awareness Month

I had my first seizure in January of 2020 and was formally diagnosed with epilepsy in April of the same year. In my twenty years of life, I have had 23 surgeries on my brain, heart, stomach, and lungs- all of which are attributed to an underlying condition called hydrocephalus.

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Austin Thomas – Connecting Through Comorbidities

- Thriving with Epilepsy

No two epilepsy journeys are the same. Especially when it occurs with another medical condition, like it does for Austin Thomas. Austin has lived most of his 22 years with autism, but seizures became part of his life at 17 years old when he was diagnosed with epilepsy. “Austin faces

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Clinician’s Corner: Caring for the Caregiver

- Clinician's Corner

By: Dr. Kathleen Rieke, CentraCare The last two articles in this series focused on epilepsy self-management. They encompassed topics such as managing medications, maximizing communication with providers, and taking an active role in seizure management. This final topic focuses on an often overlooked but profoundly important element to the health

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DEI Committee Member Spotlight – Tammy Sinkfield-Morey

- Organization Updates

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee helps us better serve communities of color, Native communities, individuals living with complex and rare epilepsies, and communities marginalized through social, economic, and political barriers as well as health care providers working most directly with these populations. Tammy Sinkfield-Morey, DNP, RN, PHN, CRRN,

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