imagine and act

Butterflies are beginning to flitter around in my stomach, though I shouldn’t be nervous; I’ve thrown parties for over a hundred people before. I just hope everything comes off okay for guests at Saturday night’s benefit. I imagine it will.

My husband and I started throwing this party four years ago in honor of Calvin’s birthday. We invited friends into our home and served food right out of our kitchen, and the kitchens of a few close friends. In turn we raise funds, from guests and friends worldwide, toward a cure for epilepsy, the awful foe that has wreaked havoc on our lives, on Calvin’s little brain, and on fifty million people and their families.

Epilepsy has crushed us in a way I never could have imagined. The relentless seizures and mind-numbing drugs have brought us to our knees. We have few options. One is to sit by and watch our son suffer the effects. He’s just a little kid and epilepsy is a huge monster to battle with few resources to do so. The other option is to take action, to try and change the landscape of this trivialized, neglected, lethal disorder. I like to imagine obliterating it, blowing it the hell out of the water.

So we, the underdogs, are waging a war against this fiend that must be won. So far this year we have already raised $12,000 with the help of tens of generous donors and one substantial grant. Thank you! My goal is to raise between $15,000 and $20,000 during this year's campaign. Funding for epilepsy research is paltry at best because of its history of fear, stigma, shame and lack of a celebrity advocate. I aim to change that with your help.

So, dear readers—friends—I am asking you very personally; my family; my former swim teammates from Phantom Lake, Sammamish High, B.E.S.T, University of Washington and Central Washington University; my former teachers and coaches; my Sammamish High School classmates; my college alumni; my friends and neighbors from Coffin School and Bowdoin College, San Francisco, Seattle, Bellevue and Maine; please come off of the sidelines and give what you can to epilepsy research. Know that I am thinking of you and eagerly waiting to hear your voice of support.

Most of you cannot know how it is to have a child with epilepsy, but let me just ask you to imagine—and act.

Please donate now to epilepsy research at: http://www.calvinscure.com

photo by Michael Kolster