Gretel Johns

My Activity Tracking

323
kms

My target 250 kms

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

I want to raise money and make a difference for people living with epilepsy. Please help me by giving whatever you can using the 'Give Now' button. The more people that know about the walk, the greater the impact, so please also spread the word by sharing our page with your friends and family. Thank you in advance for your generosity, it means a lot!

My Achievements

Ready set go!

You're on your way to becoming an Epilepsy Champ! Signup complete

Sharing is caring

Let the world know that you're helping those living with epilepsy on your socials

Back yourself

Self donate to show your friends and family how its done

First donation

Got your first donation! Well done!

Halfway Donation Milestone

You've hit the half way mark for donations! Keep up the good work

Smashed it!

You've hit your goal! We couldn't be more proud of you

First km complete!

Well done! Keep the momentum going!

Half way there

You've reached the halfway mark of your challenge, keep pushing forward!

You did it!

You've smashed your goal! We couldn't be more proud of you

$500!

Thankyou, you've raised $500!!! A Walk for Epilepsy pack is coming your way!

$1000!

Thankyou, you've raised $1000! You're in the draw to WIN an Apple iWatch

$2000!

Thankyou, you've raised $2000! You're in the draw to win a $1000 Rebel Sports Voucher

My Updates

What it’s like to live with seizures

Friday 6th Oct

Having breakfast preparing for work and you hear a thud in the upstairs bathroom. No one yells out I am ok! 


Madly you rush upstairs to find your daughter seizing. She has struck herself on the bathtub on the way to the floor. 

Carefully you look for blood all while trying to maintain an airway on a seizing child. 

Lips blue, eyes glazed, hard to assess what her pupils are doing. Scrambling for a watch or device to time the seizure. 


I have spent my adult life caring for people on the brink of death. 

There is a smell that people have when they are close to death, critically ill. Every seizure I smell it in the air. I spend the hours after the seizure checking on her and smelling her hair…. 


The seizure ends and her colour returns. She can’t utter words and her coordination to sit up is impaired. You sit and wait with her until she can coordinate her self to stand because she is too big now to pick up and carry to bed. Calmly you talk and remind her how strong she is, what had happened, reassure her she is ok. 


While she is sleeping you carefully document the event for the next visit to the specialist. 

Call in for carers leave for work, arrange a doctors appointment to receive a medical certificate for your leave. 


An hour or so later she walks downstairs. Eyes heavy and moving carefully she approaches me and says she doesn’t know what happened. We discuss the seizure and she recalls the moments preceding the seizure. 


She tells you she feels sick and her head is throbbing. You know she needs to have her morning medication so you encourage some toast and a glass of milk. You offer paracetamol but it’s two more tablets and she already takes 4 in the morning. 


The rest of my day will be spent checking her….. assessing her for signs of another one. 

The days after you wait. Each day passes and you relax a little more. Until it’s a month or two later and it all happens again.


I know how lucky we are this doesn’t happen multiple times a day or week. 


1 in 25 people will be diagnosed in their lifetime with Epilepsy. 

Thank you to my Sponsors

$21.10

Laura Radisich

Well done Gretel!

$21.10

Kat

An amazing thing you’re doing! Wishing you all the best.