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The Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota Blog

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DEI Committee Member Spotlight – Martin Hernandez

- 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. Martin Hernandez is our Regional Outreach

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Brette Garnatz – Managing Your Mental Health

- Thriving with Epilepsy

Brette Garnatz wants to talk about the things we’re too often quiet about. Her message to others with epilepsy is think about and be active in managing your mental health. To women with epilepsy, she shares her difficulties around having a child while managing seizures. Brette’s journey began when she

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DEI Committee Member Spotlight – Mark Devaraj

- 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. Mark Devaraj is the chair of

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Clinician’s Corner: Healthy Choices and Improving Your Health Outcomes

- Clinician's Corner

By Dr. Jason Doescher, MOBĒ Be good to yourself, invest in your health and wellness Such a simple comment is easy to agree with but can be challenging to accomplish. While the basic ingredients of health are straightforward, our busy lives often influence choices to meet short-term needs at the

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Everett Forbes – Socializing & Gaining Independence

- Thriving with Epilepsy

Everett Forbes found a new way to make friends and socialize over the past year, despite the challenges of limited in-person events. He began attending virtual Teen Connect Groups in early 2020 and now finds the gatherings a regular part of his schedule where he gets to “do fun things”

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Scott Buisman – Workplace Seizures & Employment Protections

- Thriving with Epilepsy

Scott Buisman has always been open about his epilepsy and absence seizures. He’s had seizures at work in the past and they’ve never been a problem. But a recent seizure caused him to fall and be knocked-out, leading to a hospital visit. With no major injuries he returned to work,

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Clinician’s Corner: Transitioning from the Pediatric to the Adult Epilepsy Clinic

- Clinician's Corner

By: Jeannine Conway, PharmaD, BCPS and Katherine Nickels, MD The transition of children into adolescence and adulthood can be exciting for the whole family. However, this can also be a time for anxiety, especially for children with chronic health conditions. Preparing children and their families is important to make this transition

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Derrick Dawson – Medication, Memory, and Independence

- Thriving with Epilepsy

Derrick Dawson is a social person. When he lost his warehouse job in 2019, it meant less time with his friends and co-workers. When COVID forced us to bring organizational events online, it meant he wouldn’t be able to attend the in-person events he enjoys, like Studio-E Art Sessions, Connect

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Kyah Altiere – Advocate For Yourself and Others

- Thriving with Epilepsy

Advocacy can be done in many ways, in many places, and for many reasons. Kyah Altiere has made advocacy an important part of her life since the time she was prescribed toxic levels of her anti-seizure medication. This is when she became an advocate for herself, which transitioned into her

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Legislative Priority: Seizure Smart Schools

- Advocacy

A strong push for Seizure Smart Schools Legislation in 2021 is how we make schools a safer place for students with epilepsy.

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