Resources
You don’t have to figure this out alone
Everything else on this site is my own story — one person’s experience with epilepsy, surgery, and training for a marathon. This page is different: it’s a short, plain list of trusted organizations and seizure first-aid basics for anyone who landed here looking for more than a personal story.
None of this is medical advice. If you or someone near you needs emergency help, call 911.
Learn more
Organizations doing the real work
These are the two organizations I point people to first — one funds the research, the other supports people living with epilepsy today.
CURE Epilepsy
The nonprofit I’m running the LA Marathon for. CURE Epilepsy funds patient-focused research aimed at finding a cure — not just better symptom management.
Visit cureepilepsy.org → 02 · SupportEpilepsy Foundation
Education, local support networks, seizure first-aid training, and a 24/7 helpline for people living with epilepsy and the people who love them.
Visit epilepsy.com →If you're ever with someone having a seizure
Seizure first aid: Stay. Safe. Side.
Most seizures last only a minute or two and end on their own. You don’t need special training to help — just these three things, straight from the Epilepsy Foundation’s basic seizure first-aid guidance:
- Stay with the person and start timing the seizure. Stay calm — it helps them, and anyone else nearby, stay calm too.
- Safe-guard them. Move away anything hard or sharp, and clear some space so they aren’t crowded as they come out of it.
- Side. If they aren’t awake or aware, gently turn them onto their side with their mouth toward the ground — it keeps their airway clear.
Worth knowing Two things not to do, and when to call 911
Don’t put anything in their mouth — not a spoon, not your fingers, nothing. A person can’t swallow their tongue during a seizure, and jaw muscles can clamp down hard enough to break an object (or teeth) if something’s in the way.
Don’t hold them down or try to stop the movements. Restraining someone doesn’t stop a seizure — it can cause injury and leave them more confused or agitated once it ends.
Call 911 if: the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, a second seizure starts before they recover, they’re having trouble breathing, it happens in water, they’re injured, pregnant, or sick, they don’t return to their usual self afterward, it’s a first-time seizure, or the person themselves asks for medical help.
This is a short summary, not a substitute for training. The Epilepsy Foundation’s full guide covers every seizure type in more detail and offers free certification courses — read it here.
Not medical advice. Talk with a clinician for care decisions, and call 911 for emergencies.