79 People are diagnosed with epilepsy every day. Not one of them should have to feel frightened, lost or alone.

Last year Epilepsy Action helped more than 15,000 people through its free helpline, befriending, and talk and support groups.

In 2025 we’re going to help even more people, but we need your help to reach them.

This Christmas please make a donation and help us continue to provide vital people support to those that need it, like Chloe, Sarah and Emily.

Sara’s story

Sara was 22 years old when she got her first acting job. She was on stage during a children’s theatre tour.

Sara had a seizure on stage in front of hundreds of children and their teachers. 

She never wanted to go on stage again, out of fear she would have another seizure, that’s when epilepsy starts to take Sara’s life away.

She wasn’t able to drive, she couldn’t achieve her dream.

She said: “I miss out on roles because I cannot drive, I cannot get to location.”

Luckily, Sara was able to find a new community though Epilepsy Action, she was able to read stories just like this and discover she wasn’t alone.

She said: “I love being part of the comedy community, it’s given me a sense of belonging.”

“Your lovely messages on social media really touched me

“I didn’t think an organisation would be engaged with what I had to say and for that, I am truly grateful.”

Emily’s story

For Emily, epilepsy really took a toll on her mental health.

She said: “I was 10 years old when I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I had my first tonic clonic seizure on New Year’s Eve at a sleep over.”

At school, her teachers wrote her off without knowing the truth. She felt that throughout her education, she had people dictating what she ‘could’ and ‘couldn’t’ do.

She said: “I had no support, no one to talk about my epilepsy.

“I want to just give up or find a place to hide where no one could find me.”

That’s until she found Epilepsy Action. Emily found that reading stories like this about epilepsy helped her on her own journey.

Emily said: “I have thought that maybe if I told my story, it could help someone to not feel that they are alone and raise awareness about the experiences, maybe it will help me start to find some peace.”