November is Epilepsy Awareness Month, a time to recognize the thousands of Long Islanders living with epilepsy and to recommit ourselves to creating a community prepared to protect them. More than 35,000 Long Islanders live with epilepsy, and one in ten people will experience a seizure at some point in their lives. Yet too many of us do not know what to do when a seizure occurs, leaving people vulnerable in moments when every second matters.
Seizures can happen anywhere. A fast and informed response can prevent injury, reduce fear and save lives. Simple actions like keeping a person safe during a seizure, timing the episode and staying with them until it ends can make all the difference.
That is why the Epilepsy Foundation Long Island is urging every resident to take an hour this month to become certified in seizure safety first aid. Trainings are free, easy to access and provide the confidence needed to respond with clarity and compassion. When more people know how to act, fewer families are left facing emergencies alone.
This shared responsibility is especially urgent in our schools. Despite regularly serving children who live with epilepsy, many have not received training in seizure response. New York’s Seizure Safe Schools Act would help change that by ensuring schools have individualized seizure action plans, trained personnel and access to emergency medication. The bill would also require epilepsy education so students learn to understand, not fear, their peers. Several other states have already adopted similar measures. Families in our region deserve that same assurance.
But protecting people with epilepsy goes beyond legislation. It requires neighbors looking out for neighbors. It requires communities that respond with calm instead of panic. And it requires all of us to recognize that people living with epilepsy deserve the same safety, dignity and opportunity as everyone else.
It’s also not just one month per year. Each October, the annual Walk to End Epilepsy brings hundreds of neighbors together in Eisenhower Park to honor loved ones and raise awareness. It’s a powerful reminder that epilepsy touches every corner of our community and that no one should face this condition alone. This November, let us come together in support of the most vulnerable among us. Become seizure-safe certified. Advocate for stronger protections in our schools. And help build a Long Island where no one faces a seizure alone.
By Lisa Burch, President and CEO of EPIC Family of Human Service Agencies and Epilepsy Foundation Long Island
