UNITE to CURE Epilepsy 2023

UNITE to Learn. UNITE to Share. UNITE to Give. UNITE to CURE Epilepsy.

Join us for a three-day virtual experience culminating in a Day of Giving on Friday, September 8, which marks 25 years since CURE Epilepsy’s incorporation date. Stream live educational content, engage with other community members, and come together with other CURE Epilepsy advocates to raise funds for critical epilepsy research. For our Day of Giving, our goal is to hit 500 donors of $25 or more across all 50 states! And, we are excited to announce that a portion of the dollars raised will be matched thanks to the generous contributions of families in our community. You will hear more about these families’ stories the week of UNITE. Only by joining together will we achieve our vision of a world without epilepsy.

Visit the Partner Resource Center to see resources our partners and sponsors have provided for our community.

Scroll down to see the itinerary for the full three days, or jump to sections by clicking below:

Day 1: Learn
Day 2: Share
Day 3: Give

Wednesday, September 6 – Learn

• Lunch and Learn with Dr. Grinspan: New Frontiers in Pediatric Epilepsy
  • Watch recording or read transcript.
  • A lunch and learn with Dr. Zach Grinspan, child neurologist at Weill Cornell. Dr. Grinspan who speaks about the latest advances in treatment and technology in the pediatric epilepsy space and take questions from the audience.|
• Low-Carb Cooking Demo with The Charlie Foundation
  • Watch recording or read transcript.
  • A cooking demonstration from Dawn Marie Martenz, recipe consultant at the Charlie Foundation for Ketogenic Therapies. Dietary therapies can be an effective treatment for many people with treatment-resistant epilepsy.

Want to learn more about epilepsy? Check out some of the resources below:

• Understanding Epilepsy
  • What is epilepsy?
  • What causes epilepsy?
  • What are the phases of seizures?
• Webinars
  • Mental Health and Childhood Epilepsy
  • The Role of Medicinal Cannabis and Cannabidiol in the Treatment of Epilepsy
  • Stem Cells and Epilepsy
• Recent Research Discoveries
  • CURE Epilepsy Discovery: Better Understanding of Post-Traumatic Epilepsy Provides a Foundation for the Development of Novel Therapies
  • CURE Epilepsy Discovery: Implantable Devices Represent a Novel Way to Detect and Treat Epilepsy
  • CURE Epilepsy Discovery: CURE Epilepsy Funds Research to Investigate Mechanisms of Genetic Epilepsies

Thursday, September 7 – Share

• Ask Me Anything: A Conversation with People Living with Epilepsy
  • Watch recording or read transcript.
  • Guests: Channing Seideman, Peter Burpee, and Daniel Allbeck
  • Everyone’s experience with epilepsy is incredibly different. This is an engaging conversation between three members of our CURE Epilepsy community who share their unique experiences.

Hear more stories of those living with epilepsy below:

• Our Seizing Life podcast
• Personal Stories
• CURE Epilepsy CARES events

If you are living with epilepsy or a caregiver to someone living with epilepsy and are in need of support, know there are support groups available in person and virtually. You can learn more here.

Friday, September 8 – Give

• Why I Became a CURE Epilepsy Champion: A Story of Giving From Erin
  • Watch recording or read transcript.
  • Guest: Erin Monast, CURE Epilepsy Champion
  • CURE Epilepsy Champion, Erin Monast, shares the story of her daughter, Reagan. Despite challenges in controlling Reagan’s epilepsy, Erin continues to raise critical funds and awareness through her annual “Reagan’s Run” event benefitting CURE Epilepsy. The Monast family firmly believes research holds the hope of a cure for Reagan and the 3.4 million other Americans who live with epilepsy.

Learn more about why CURE Epilepsy was founded and why our donors continue to support our mission:

• Seizing Life episode with our Founder, Susan Axelrod and Barb Kelly, our founding Research Chair
• Researching to CURE Epilepsy (2023 Impact Report)
• Hear researchers share why CURE Epilepsy’s funding is critical to drive innovative epilepsy research

Inspired by the many individuals highlighted during UNITE to CURE Epilepsy 2023? Learn how to become a CURE Epilepsy Champion and help us raise money for a cure.

Make a donation to bring us closer to a world without epilepsy.