The first annual Walk for Epilepsy was held in eMalahleni
Residents showed up early in their walking shoes in support of Epilepsy Awareness.
Epilepsy is not something that many people are very familiar with. 65 million people are affected by epilepsy around the world, while an estimating 24 million South Africans have the disease.
It’s a disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures.
Epilepsy may occur as a result of a genetic disorder or an acquired brain injury, such as a trauma or stroke.
During a seizure, a person experiences abnormal behavior, symptoms, and sensations, sometimes including loss of consciousness.
There are few symptoms between seizures.
Epilepsy is usually treated by medication and in some cases by surgery, devices, or dietary changes.
There are four main types of epilepsy: Focal, generalized, combination, and unknown.
A doctor generally diagnoses someone with epilepsy if they have had two or more unprovoked seizures.
Medication is the most common treatment, and two-thirds of adults with epilepsy live seizure-free because of it.
To bring awareness to the residents of eMalahleni, the Mpumalanga Epilepsy Foundation had a walk for epilepsy.
The walk was held on November 20 and the starting point was at the Highveld Mall to Witbank Dam.
One organizer, Sihle Hlatshwayo said that the community needs to be aware of epilepsy and that it should be recognized as a disease.
“A friend of mine, Sindisiwe Thwala was diagnosed with epilepsy, so we as an organization did not know what to do, so we decided to host a walk. Sindisiwe always had this urge in her heart to bring awareness to the disease in eMalahleni. We have not seen any support groups and decided to center it on epilepsy. We came here to tell people that it is not the end of the day, if you take medication early and visit a doctor to assess what type of epilepsy you have, because there are different ones, you’ll be ok and can live with the disease,” said Sihle.
“The organization is a non-profit organization (NPO) meaning that no one would receive any money on the day. It is more about awareness,” Sihle concluded.
Doctor Lilleth Skosana was the master of ceremonies for the day and gave the attendees interesting facts and signs of epilepsy.
Highveld Mall provided tables and kindly gave up space in the parking lot to use for the event for free.
The staff of Highveld Mall did it without hesitation, because one of their office employees is also prone to epilepsy.
Bringing it close to home, Sindisiwe Thwala, the heart of the project has been living with epilepsy for 22 years.
“I have been on medication for 17 years. It is a mental illness because it affects the brain. The electrical activities in the brain can be abnormal and that is what can contribute to the attack. Tongue-biting and collapsing is also part of it, cutting oxygen to the brain,” said Thwala.
Thwala had her first seizure in 1997 when she was in school.
“In class, I just felt disorientated and I could feel a funny sensation. My eyes started flitching and my body went stiff and I could not breathe”. When asking about medication and if it is accessible for everyone, Thwala said that the government does supply medications at clinics and the staff is trained and prepared to do tests. “Medication is available at the clinics. The public doesn’t know what to do when they have or witness an epileptic attack, the public needs to know that there is help. It’s a journey and can be controlled,” concluded Thwala.
Thwala has been seizure-free for 17 years and says that it is very important to use the medication continuously.
Sisters from various clinics in eMalahleni also attended the day to educate the public about epilepsy and to make this walk a success.
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