Published: March 25, 2007 09:40 pm      

Walk for Epilepsy holds great importance for Bluefield teen, millions more

BLUEFIELD — If the first-ever National Walk for Epilepsy meets its $1 million goal, almost $8,000 of it will come from the efforts of a local high school student and his family.

Aaron Payne, 18, is a Bluefield High School junior who has been schooled at home by Mercer County teachers ever since he was a freshman. This arrangement is because of his uncontrolled epilepsy, said his mother, Sandy Payne. Medications that normally control seizures have not been effective.

However, this has not stopped Aaron from joining the A honor roll at BHS or from wanting to participate in the first walk for epilepsy on March 31 in Washington, D.C.

“Hopefully, we’ll be raising a lot more money for getting a cure for epilepsy,” he said. “This walk will raise a lot more awareness.”

Approximately 5,000 participants are expected at the event.

“Epilepsy is the most-common neurological condition in almost three million Americans, but few people know that it can affect anyone, anywhere at any time,” said Eric R Hagis, president and CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation. “The goals of the walk are to raise public awareness about the condition and to secure much needed funding to find a cure. We are also striving to create an environment where people living with epilepsy have equal access to all life experiences.”

As with other medical conditions such as heart disease and cancer, epilepsy means a lifestyle change for both the patient and the patient’s family, Sandy Payne said. For instance, according to West Virginia law, a person with epilepsy must been seizure-free for a year before he or she can get a driver’s license.

“For an 18-year-old, that’s a big change,” she said. “But if you met him, you would never think anything was wrong with him.”

But like any other 18-year-old, Aaron is making plans for the future. He hopes to become a computer game developer.

Donations can be made at the National Walk for Epilepsy website at www.walkforepilepsy.org, Sandy Payne said.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com