Ashland families take part in D.C. epilepsy walk

ASHLAND — Two Ashland families who bonded over a shared struggle with epilepsy have begun a tradition to help spread awareness of the disorder.

The Sanders and Anderson families traveled to Washington D.C. over the weekend to take part in the April 14 National Walk for Epilepsy on the national mall. It was their second consecutive year participating in the 5K walk and rally, sponsored by the Epilepsy Foundation of America.

The families connected when Tiffany Sanders was a frequent substitute teacher and had Brady Anderson in class at Reagan Elementary School.

Sanders has epilepsy, which she has been able to largely manage with medication. But the disorder will always be part of her life, whether through occasional seizures or through side effects of the neurological condition or the medication she takes.

So when she learned that Anderson also had epilepsy, Sanders took him under her wing and befriended his mother, Tiffany Anderson. Tiffany Sanders and Tiffany Anderson have since become so close they call themselves T1 and T2. 

“We became best friends because of epilepsy,” Tiffany Anderson said. “We’re more than friends. We’re family.”

Brady Anderson, now a fourth grader at Taft Intermediate School, has about 50 to 60 seizures every day.

The seizures are short and do not cause him to fall over or go into convulsions, so his family didn’t suspect he had epilepsy at first. 

“He was six and we thought maybe he was just blanking out or staring off into space, until one day his head started to go back with it,” said Tiffany Anderson. “It’s still a daily struggle for him. No medication has worked yet.”

Tiffany Anderson worries about her son’s safety and his ability to thrive in the future. He’s not allowed to ride around the block on his bicycle with friends, and it’s possible he may never be able to drive a car. 

Adding to the struggle, Tiffany Anderson has to educate people about her son’s condition and advocate for him because most people don’t understand the situation. 

“Before he got diagnosed, I thought there was one type of epilepsy where you fall down to the ground and have a seizure,” Tiffany Anderson said. “We’ve learned a lot since then. There are many types, and 1 in 26 people have epilepsy.”

Sanders said she likes to take part in the National Walk for Epilepsy because it helps fund research that could one day help Brady live a more normal life.

The walk is also about educating the public and building camaraderie among people with epilepsy, their families and caregivers, Tiffany Anderson said. 

“There’s so much awareness for autism and other things, but it feels like epilepsy gets forgotten because it’s less known or people think it’s less serious as not as serious,” Tiffany Anderson said. “Another reason we go to D.C. is we get to meet other people (with epilepsy), we get to hear about different medications and surgeries, and we get to be part of something with other people experiencing the same thing.”

Sanders’ husband, Jimmy, said he appreciates that the foundation and the annual walk help inform people about their rights and about advocacy that has already been done on their behalf by people like Tony Coehlo. Coehlo was a primary author of the Americans With Disabilities Act and is a board member at the Epilepsy Foundation. 

The epilepsy walk has a similar feel to a Relay For Life events and features inspirational speakers who have struggled with epilepsy. 

In addition to Tiffany and Brady Anderson and Tiffany Sanders, other members of “Team Sanderson” included Jimmy Sanders, Abby Sanders, Cooper Sanders, Mickenzie Anderson, Chase Anderson and Hailey Whitesel. They all wore “Ashland orange” t-shirts that said “Stronger Together” featuring purple ribbons. Several of the team members dyed their hair purple for epilepsy awareness. 

Even though the team just returned from their trip, they’re already thinking about going back next year. 

“It’s definitely something we’re going to do as long as we can do it, and we would love to see other people come,” Tiffany Sanders said. 

More information about the Epilepsy Foundation of America can be found at www.epilepsy.com, and more information about the National Walk for Epilepsy can be found at walkforepilepsy.org.