August 2020: Epilepsy Awareness Month in Michigan

WHEREAS, epilepsy, also known as “seizure disorder,” is the fourth most common neurological disorder and continues to take the lives of many adults and children; and,

 

WHEREAS, the number of people living with the disability of epilepsy has grown as high as 50 million people worldwide, and facts have shown that there is close to 40 different types of epileptic seizures, with partial seizures, complex seizures, and tonic-clonic seizures being the most common; and,

 

WHEREAS, there has not been enough education to the public on what an epileptic seizure is and what needs to be done when someone is having an epileptic seizure, although the eradication of the stigma against epilepsy is one of the many top objectives; and,

 

WHEREAS, many epileptics placed in the education system are bullied due to the disability of epilepsy, which indicates the need of the public schooling systems to teach what the disability of epilepsy truly is and how to help and support the children living with the disability of epilepsy; and,

 

WHEREAS, people living with the disability of epilepsy sometimes develop anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, or suicidal thoughts, as well as have increased rates of suicide; and,

 

WHEREAS, giving coverage on prescription medication and easy access to all the help and support epileptics may need will save both those presently living with epilepsy and those who have tragically lost a loved one due to epilepsy; and,

 

WHEREAS, August is Epilepsy Awareness Month, which is an annual campaign designed to increase awareness and educate more about this neurological disorder, to raise money going towards epilepsy awareness and epilepsy research, and to promote structuralized research into the neurological cause, prevention, treatment, and cure; and,

 

WHEREAS, purple ribbons are presented to raise awareness for epilepsy and to recognize epileptic warriors, the families and friends who help and support epileptics, our medical professionals who put forward their research into the disability of epilepsy, and to deeply honor the many epileptics we have lost;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim August 2020 as Epilepsy Awareness Month in Michigan.