Four years ago Joe ran the London marathon raising over £3,000 for Epilepsy Society. Whilst not running 26.2 miles, I had a pretty challenging day myself looking after Edward, William and Henry standing on the Embankment waiting just under four hours for him to appear for a few seconds. In 2016 it's my turn to do the running and raise funds for Epilepsy Society!

Joe's personal connection to epilepsy and Epilepsy Society, as a Trustee, is detailed in their recently published article on the internet:

http://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/blog/marathon-man-joe-epilepsy-society-12-21-2015#.VnlXYU0nyos

I hope that you're able to support my fundraising efforts.

Jo x

Where your money goes - about Epilepsy Society
Epilepsy Society is the largest medical charity in the field in the UK. Its headquarters are in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire and it works in close partnership with the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London.

Doctors and scientists at the charity are making a major contribution to the world's research into the causes, diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, pioneering novel diagnostic techniques and making possible improvements in both surgical and medical treatment of the condition.

Difficult-to-treat epilepsy
The Society's globally unique NHS epilepsy assessment facility, the Sir William Gowers Centre, provides individual assessment, rehabilitation training and ground-breaking research opportunities and sees approximately 3,000 people whose epilepsy is difficult to manage each year. The unit's success-rate is high, with most patients seeing a considerable improvement in the control of their seizures. Around 20 per cent of those admitted are found to have been wrongly diagnosed and do not have epilepsy.

Dedicated MRI unit for epilepsy
The world's first MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) unit to be dedicated solely to the identification of the causes of epilepsy is located at Epilepsy Society's Chalfont Centre. Using a powerful 3 Tesla MRI scanner work at this Unit has meant that up to 70% of people with epilepsy can now have the cause of their epilepsy identified. Linked to the Sir William Gowers Centre, it is now possible to undertake an MRI scan directly following a seizure. Working closely with the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), the Society offers the largest NHS outpatient clinic in the country.

Residential care
A review of Epilepsy Society’s residential care means that the Society is moving towards providing expert care and accommodation for 100 people with severe epilepsy combined with learning and physical disabilities. Epilepsy Society also provides rehabilitation programmes supported by multi disciplinary teams.

Information services
Nationally, Epilepsy Society provides epilepsy information services in around 180 healthcare settings in the UK. The services are manned by trained volunteers who provide information and a listening ear to people affected by epilepsy.

Helpline
Epilepsy Society also offers a national helpline: 01494 601 400.

Epilepsy Society was first established in Chalfont St Peter, Bucks in 1892.

Some facts about epilepsy
1.More than 500,000 people in the UK have epilepsy (50 million people worldwide)
2.One in every 100 people has epilepsy. It is three times more common than multiple sclerosis and more than three times as common as Parkinson's disease and cerebral palsy.
3.One person in 50 will develop epilepsy at some time in their life. One in 20 will have a single epileptic seizure.
4.Epilepsy can develop at any age. However, it is diagnosed most often before the age of 20 and after the age of 60.
5.Once diagnosed with epilepsy, a patient is usually started on anti-epileptic medication. This treatment controls seizures in up to 75% of patients.
6.Surgery can help a small number of people with epilepsy whose seizures do not respond to currently available medication (approx 3%).
7.There are 1,000 epilepsy-related deaths a year, approximately 600 of which are attributable to SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy).