Ebony Blake

I’m taking part in Walk for Epilepsy because...

At 13 years old, my life changed in an instant.

I had a seizure without warning while I was at a friend’s house. That was the day I was diagnosed with epilepsy—a diagnosis that would shape the next 14 years of my life.

What followed was a journey filled with endless doctor’s appointments, hospital visits, scans, tests, and constant medication changes. Instead of simply enjoying my teenage years, I was learning to live with a condition that I never asked for. There were moments of fear, uncertainty, frustration, and heartbreak. Epilepsy stole so much of the carefree life every teenager deserves.

But it wasn’t just my battle.

I watched my mum carry the weight of my diagnosis every single day. The worry every time I left the house. The sleepless nights. The hospital visits. The emotional, physical, and financial toll that epilepsy takes on an entire family. Looking back now at 27, I don’t think I truly understood how much she carried until I became an adult myself.

No family should have to live with that constant fear.

That’s why I’m walking for the Epilepsy Foundation. I’m walking for the 13-year-old me who was scared and didn’t know what the future would look like. I’m walking for my mum, who never stopped fighting for me. And I’m walking for every person and family whose lives have been turned upside down by epilepsy.

If sharing my story and raising funds can help improve research, treatments, support services, or bring us one step closer to a cure, then every step will be worth it.

If you’re able to donate, no matter how big or small, I’d be incredibly grateful. Your support means more than you know, and together we can help create a future where no one has to go through what so many of us have.