At first glance, few would guess the significance of the silver bracelet dangling around sophomore Miranda Adams’ left wrist. Across the back a single word is engraved under her name—Epilepsy.
On Saturday, March 28, Miranda will participate in the National Walk for Epilepsy in Washington D.C., an annual 2-mile walk with over 8,000 participants.
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder, characterized by the occurrence of unpredictable seizures that may vary in intensity. Some people can control the seizures with the use of medication, but these drugs may have no effect at all on other patients.
The National Walk for Epilespy has raised over $2 million in 2 years to help spread awareness and find a cure for epilepsy. This will be Miranda’s first time participating.
“I got inspired by the breast cancer walk last summer, which I didn’t participate in,” Miranda said. “But I knew people who did, and that made me really think about doing a walk for epilepsy. I couldn’t find anything then, but I kept checking, and around December I read about it in an online forum. I hope to be in the walk every year that I can in the future, and I’m hoping to be involved in some other way.”
Miranda herself was diagnosed with epilepsy in fourth grade, though she first displayed symptoms in second grade.
“I’ve never met anyone else who is epileptic, and I kind of feel alone,” Miranda said. “It’ll be really cool to meet other people.”
Miranda also expressed a desire to raise awareness about the condition by participating in the walk.
“A lot of people don’t even know what [epilepsy] is when I explain it to them,” Miranda said. “And there are so many different kinds [of epilepsy] that some people go undiagnosed.”
Miranda has been seizure-free for over a year now with the help of medication.
While most people are only familiar with shudder-inducing grand mal seizures, Miranda experienced a much less severe kind called a simple partial seizure.
Simple partial seizures don’t involve shaking, but rather a change in sensory perception that Miranda described as “a weird, out-of-body experience.”
Miranda hopes to raise at least $200 for the National Walk for Epilepsy.
To donate to the cause in her name, visit www.walkforepilepsy.org, click the “find a participant/team” link and search for Miranda Adams.