A new player walked on the local nonprofit scene with late July’s debut of Epilepsy Foundation’s chapter in Orange.
A seven-year veteran of the Landover, Md.-based group’s work in L.A., Shannon AbdulWahab, was named executive director for the new location at the City Tower building in Orange.
Epilepsy is a chronic, abnormal electrical discharges in the brain. The World Health Organization estimates about 50 million people globally have epilepsy, with 5 million new cases a year.
In the U.S., about 3.4 million have epilepsy, according to Centers for Disease Control numbers; 38,000 of those people are in OC.
CDC said some causes of epilepsy are stroke, tumor, and head injuries; others are born with the condition. WHO said people with epilepsy are up to three times more at risk of premature death, while nearly three-fourths could live seizure-free if rightly diagnosed and treated.
Hope, Change
Abdul-Wahab was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 10.
She suffered seizures while pregnant with daughter, Drew; one in a parking lot so severe, it required stitches on her head. While pregnant with her son, Chase, the seizures grew worse. The kids are now 12 and 10, respectively. Abdul-Wahab and her husband, Andy, later adopted a third child, a girl named Farrah, 8, from the Congo.
The experiences prompted her to begin helping in L.A.
“I got involved to give people hope.”
OC’s chapter has a 24/7 helpline, care referrals, education—how to recognize and respond to seizures—support for siblings and families, advocacy, fundraising, and a local iteration of its Care & Cure Institute.
Care, Cure
Care & Cure is an L.A. effort about 15 years old. It backs training of pediatric epilepsy specialists, a statement from the national group said.
Institutes are being added nationally; the foundation has more than 50 U.S. chapters.
An Oct. 5 gala at Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach will raise money for C&C and honor Orange County Business Council CEO Lucy Dunn, who has family members with epilepsy and has become a supporter of their work.
Fun in Fundraising
A big fundraiser that chapters around the country participates in is the group’s annual Walk to End Epilepsy. A spokesperson said its national event is in Washington, D.C.; local sites often hold one and about 50 are confirmed for next year. OC’s will take place next year in August.
A venue isn’t set yet, but past events for the L.A. chapter have been held at the Rose Bowl with participation from OC, Ventura, and Riverside counties.
Next Chapter
With a walk of its own, OC will solidify the now-local efforts. A spokesperson said services and programs for the county, including family outreach and the Care & Cure gala, had previously come from the Los Angeles chapter’s work at accredited epilepsy centers here.
The group has funded training for pediatric epilepsy fellows at CHOC Children’s, for instance.
Three years ago, the Epilepsy Foundation’s national organization moved from “an affiliate structure” with individual 501(c)(3) organizations in other cities to a chapter-based organization, where local groups are part of the national one.
The foundation is “gradually adding chapters in various regions,” including others in California, the spokesperson said.
The national group turned 50 last year. In its fiscal year ending June 2018, it raised $23.6 million and spent $17.3 million; its net assets were $19.6 million. N.J.-based nonprofit watchdog Charity Navigator gives the group 4 out of 4 stars.
