Heath Hocking

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

This October, I’ll be travelling 250km non-stop on the treadmill for the 1 in 25 people diagnosed with epilepsy in their lifetime.

As a father of a child with epilepsy, I know how devastating this condition can be, both for those living with it and their loved ones. Our boy, Roman, was six months old when we noticed signs of seizures. They would last between 30 seconds to a couple of minutes. It was right in the middle of Covid lockdown, which made us feel further isolated and alone. Only one person could be with Roman in hospital, so either my wife or I would sit in the car outside waiting for a word of how Roman was doing. It was a very dark and terrifying time.

Roman was put on a very high dosage of steroids. Fortunately, these worked, and our happy, cheeky boy started to come back. He is now four years old – healthy, happy, and confident.

Epilepsy will always be a part of our lives and there are many people out there who not as fortunate as Roman are. So, if running a crazy amount of kilometres on a treadmill can help, I want to do it. I encourage everyone to donate to my page. Your support means everything to me and people living with epilepsy.