Wired 4 Life get dirty
RIVERSANDS – Team Wired 4 Life recently took part in the Muddy Princess Obstacle Race at Riversands recently to raise awareness of the Vagus Nerve Stimulation implant which has helped manage their epilepsy. Read the full story here.
The Wired 4 Life team competed in the Muddy Princess Obstacle Race, hosted on 5 November at the Riversands Farm Village.
The team took part in the race to raise awareness and support for a new epilepsy treatment.
Although the race was in support of Pink Drive, Wired 4 Life wanted to use the opportunity to raise awareness about the disorder that has affected their lives as well.
Team members Olga Lowe, Angelique Ackerman and Robyn John all have the same type of epilepsy, which is a neurological disorder that results in abnormal electrical activity in the brain, causing seizures.
Lowe suffered from as many as 72 seizures a month since being diagnosed aged about nine. In 2012, after years on a variety of different epilepsy medications, she decided to receive a Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) implant to treat the illness. Since she received her implant, she has spoken to other epilepsy patients considering the procedure about how her life has changed because of it.
“I went from about 72 seizures a month, to now nearly none,” she said. “These days, I’ll only get a seizure if I’m already very sick.”
The implant is a small device, inserted in the patient’s chest, which sends regular, mild pulses of electrical energy to the brain via the vagus nerve which is located in the neck.
“This implant is recommended for people with epilepsy who are drug-resistant or people who are experiencing very bad side effects from the epilepsy medication [they are taking],” explained Erica Redelinghuys of Amayeza Abantu, the company which distributes the VNS implants in South Africa and which sponsored the Wired 4 Life team in the race. “There are about 200 people in South Africa currently who have the implant.”
Speaking about the team’s decision to enter the race, Lowe said she felt lucky because her parents taught her never to let her epilepsy hold her back from participating in life. “I’ve picked up that sometimes we [those with epilepsy] use the disease as an excuse to hold back.
“I believe we must step out of that mind frame, we can do things, despite epilepsy. And we also wanted to bring awareness about the implant, and how it can help change your life. It definitely changed mine.”
Details: To learn more about the Vagus Nerve Stimulation implant, visit the Amayeza Abantu website www.amayeza.co.za or email Erica Redelinghuys on erica@amayeza.co.za
