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August 2025 Newsletter
Come See EFDE Tomorrow
Registration Open for 5K South
Join the EFDE on Saturday, October 11 for our annual Freedom From Seizures 5K South. Meet at the Greene Turtle Bar & Grille in Dover for check-in, then come back for a post-race celebration and awards ceremony. Enjoy a cold beverage and delicious food, generously provided by the Greene Turtle. For details and to register, click here:
On Wednesday, August 27 at 12:00 noon EFDE is hosting PACES in Epilepsy, an 8-week, one-hour weekly program via phone or zoom. This is a free program to meet others living with epilepsy and learn how to live your best life with epilepsy. The program runs through October 15. More information about PACES can be found here:
The Epilepsy Foundation of Delaware will host its 9th Annual Delaware Epilepsy Conference on Saturday, November 22. This year's theme is Epilepsy Treatments and Management. The event will take place at the John H. Ammon Medical Education Center at Christiana Care, Newark, Delaware. Registration opens in September!
Get Your Tickets Today
Exciting news...tickets are now available for EFDE's Event with Gals That Give! Mark your calendar for Wednesday, October 22, bring a friend, and plan to join us for a fun evening. The event includes a delicious dinner, an amazing pick-a-prize auction, and a fantastic 50/50.
Gals That Give provides a platform for local non-profits to raise both funds and awareness through their monthly events. The evening is filled with hundreds of women (and some men) gathered for uplifting camaraderie and a meaningful purpose, highlighting and focusing on a local non-profit whose mission positively impacts the community. A robust auction completes the evening where 100% of funds go to the monthly non-profit.
We are so grateful to Gals That Give for this opportunity and look forward to seeing our community there! Purchase tickets here:
Do you own a restaurant? Cleaning service? Landscaping business? Hair salon? Photography business? EFDE is actively in search of donations for auction baskets for our Gals That Give event. Types of items needed are, but not limited to: gift cards, movie or theater tickets, sports related items or tickets to a sporting event, fine jewelry, family or children's games, a round of golf, bottles of wine, beer or other adult beverages, designer bags, concert or show tickets, pet related items, electronics, or tickets to museums or gardens.
If you have any type of item/gift card to donate, please contact Joan at jfassano@efde.org.
We are grateful for any donations and thank you in advance!
Thanks For Coming
A big THANK YOU to all who came out to Del Pez last Sunday for
our Meet & Greet and to support EFDE's fundraiser. A great time was had by all and we are grateful to Del Pez for this opportunity. Del Pez will be generously donating over $100 to support EFDE's mission and programs.
Need a Ride?
Just a reminder that EFDE offers a FREE Transportation Program!
If you are a Delaware resident, have been diagnosed with epilepsy/seizure disorder and under the care of a neurologist, then may qualify for this FREE program.
Rides are provided by Uber Health and must be scheduled through EFDE.
Want to receive reminders for upcoming Meet & Greets or EFDE events and programs? EFDE is excited to announce our Text Messaging Program! Join our list by clicking below and providing your mobile number and consent to text. Stay connected on the go and don't miss an EFDE event or update again!
The Epilepsy Foundation of Delaware is pleased to again be partnering with Boscov's for the "Friends Helping Friends" event. Donate $5 to the EFDE and receive a 25% off shopping pass to be used on Wednesday, October 22 at any Boscov's (in store and online). You can also register to win a $100 Boscov's gift card (one winner at every store). The best part...100% of your donation goes to the EFDE! Please share this with your family and friends, then contact our office (302-999-9313) or email (efd@efde.org) to let us know how many passes you would like. Thank you and happy shopping!
Grateful for Your Support
On July 1 we kicked off the 2025-2026 Annual Fund. For those unfamiliar with our annual fund, it is a critical source of revenue and provides funding for all of EFDE's educational events, support programs, seizure first aid trainings, our community outreach, and our advocacy efforts throughout the state. Thanks to your kindness, we are able to provide all of our services and resources at no charge to our community.
A big thank you to all who donated in July :
Brian Bartley - SECC United Way of DE - Joseph Cunningham - Megan Davis - Costco Wholesale - Karen & Patrick Ruby
Don’t see your name? Make your gift today and join this dedicated group of supporters.
It was January 24, 2024 — the day the question turned into fact.
But epilepsy introduced itself long before that. December 5, 2018. A grand mal seizure — violent, sudden. I remember the morning, vaguely. My fiancée remembers the rest.
She saw the fear. The collapse. She still tells me the story — and I listen like I wasn’t even there.
My last grand mal was August 5, 2022. That one stole more. I woke up in a hospital bed with no memory of the day. Just confusion — and silence.
Epilepsy has taken pieces of me. Especially my memory. What was once sharp and quick now feels fogged. I forget names. I lose time. I misplace moments I used to hold onto. I feel it.
She sees it. Every day.
Reminding me to take my meds. To follow up. To finish things I forget mid-thought. She’s more than my partner — she’s the one who keeps me tethered. And I know it weighs on her. I see the worry tucked behind her patience.
I struggle. Quietly. Trying to explain what I can’t even explain to myself. Some days I wonder if I’m losing a fight I thought I was built to win. Maybe it’s heavier than I admitted.
The scan made it real.
I was diagnosed with mesial temporal sclerosis — scarring in my left hippocampus, the part of the brain that holds memory, emotion, and language. Mine is smaller, damaged, misfiring.
That’s where my epilepsy lives.
People think epilepsy is just seizures. They don’t see the in-between: the memory loss, the confusion, the feeling of being a step behind yourself.
They don’t see the stigma — how epilepsy is often ignored, downplayed, or buried under silence.
Even in a world that talks about mental health, epilepsy rarely makes the conversation.
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