I saw this on Facebook and decided it needs to be on Tumblr too, because people on tumblr are really good at getting important things noticed.

Danny Cooksey’s wife is sick with epilepsy, and it seems she has suddenly gotten worse. This is a direct quote from his FB page:

“Please help me help my wife. She is very sick again. There are many many others. The Epilepsy Therapy Project & The Epilepsy Foundation are merging! These are the facts.

• Epilepsy affects over 3 million Americans of all ages – more than Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, and Parkinson’s Disease combined.
• In America, Epilepsy is as common as Breast Cancer, and takes as many lives.
• Almost 500 new cases of Epilepsy are diagnosed every day in the United States.
• Epilepsy affects 50,000,000 people worldwide.
• One in 100 people will develop Epilepsy.
• One in 10 people will suffer a seizure in their lifetime.
• This year another 200,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with Epilepsy.
• Each year over 125,000 to 150,000 are newly diagnosed with Epilepsy.
• 30% of those diagnosed are children.
• Epilepsy can develop at any age and can be a result of genetics, stroke, head injury, and many other factors.
• For many soldiers suffering traumatic brain injury on the battlefield, Epilepsy will be a long-term consequence.
• In two-thirds of patients diagnosed with Epilepsy, the cause is unknown.
• In over 30% of patients, seizures cannot be controlled with treatment.
• Uncontrolled seizures may lead to brain damage and death.
• Up to 50,000 Americans die each year from seizures and related causes.
• The mortality rate among people with Epilepsy is two to three times higher than the general population.
• Risk of sudden death among those with Epilepsy is twenty-four times greater.
• Epilepsy results in an estimated annual cost of $15.5 billion in medical costs and lost or reduced earnings and production.
• Historically, epilepsy research has been under-funded. Each year NIH spends $30 billion of medical research, but just ½ of 1% is spent on epilepsy.
• The Federal government spends much less on Epilepsy research compared to other diseases, many which affect fewer people.

Please donate if you can, and definitely reblog to help spread the word. <3