New epilepsy support group

Maria Lowe from Epilepsy Waikato Charitable Trust

Epilepsy pals support group kicks off epilepsy awareness month
A group of young men with epilepsy have formed a peer support group as an initiative of the Epilepsy Waikato Charitable Trust (EWCT). The group met for the first time at Hamilton Gardens last week with epilepsy advisor Maria Lowe.
“November is EWCT’s epilepsy awareness month and is all about promoting peer-to-peer support for those living with the condition. One of our members, Thomas Mandeno, knows the challenges facing young men with epilepsy and so he suggested we form a group to support them” said Maria.
Thomas explains: “We understand how young blokes feel about having epilepsy. It isn’t any easy condition to have and much can be at stake. You can’t drive, you can’t party large and you can struggle to find your feet, in fact, even at our age it can be socially isolating. But we are here to support you. We have regular get-togethers and you can always phone one of us for a chat.”
Maria said the main aim of the group is for the young men in the group to reach out to others around the same age and to enjoy one another’s company, to have fun with activities such as playing pool together, and to share epilepsy stories.
Epilepsy affects at least one in a hundred people and, for those living with the condition, life can be challenging. Consequently, a free general epilepsy talk, “Having epilepsy and the epilepsy burden” will be given by Maria on Friday 18 November at the Methodist City Action Centre, 50 London Street, from 10 am to 12 noon.
Details about activities for EWCT’s epilepsy November awareness month are available at EWCT’s website: www.ewct.org.nz....
For more information about EWCT’s peer support group, or epilepsy in general, please contact epilepsy advisors Maria (021) 888 293 or Margaret (021) 0279 7504.