Local Epilepsy awareness activist Erin Vander Pas, junior, was recently named the face and spokesperson of the Epilepsy Foundation of Chicago for the month of February.
“It’s a huge honor to be awarded something like this,” Vander Pas said. “To be recognized for the hard work I’ve put into making sure people know what Epilepsy is, makes me very happy.”
Epilepsy is a neurological condition that affects the nervous system and causes a person to have frequent seizures, which can be deadly.
“The scariest part of epilepsy is constantly not knowing when a seizure will happen,” Vander Pas said. “Right now I’m on medication that helps to control the seizures but before that, a seizure could have been triggered from stress or if I’m tired or sometimes it can just come out of nowhere.”
Vander Pas was diagnosed with Epilepsy at three years old, and said the disease made living a normal life very difficult.
“In Middle School it was hard to make friends because many people couldn’t understand what I was going through,” Vander Pas said. “It’s difficult to make personal connections with people when they will never understand you.”
At first Vander Pas was embarrassed about her Epilepsy, but she has learned to overcome her fear of being made fun of by her peers.
“I didn’t want anyone to know I had Epilepsy was I was younger,” Vander Pas said. “But after I had a seizure on stage at the 8th grade talent show while singing, well it was hard to hide after that.”
Epilepsy affects the lives of other Lake Zurich High School students on a daily basis.
“Quite often I have to miss 3 or 4 days of school during the week to perform tests,” Vander Pas said. “The tests themselves are stressful, along with the stress of catching up with homework when I get back.”
Periodically, Vander Pas has to perform an Electroencephalography test or EEG for short. These tests require Vander Pas to stay awake for up to 36 hours at a time, laying on a bed staring at a strobe light.
“Because Epilepsy is so difficult to get through, I decided to take action and help other kids who are struggling with what I have to push through as well,” Vander Pas said. “I started to attend certain camps for epileptics, just to spend time with other people and to hear other people’s stories.”
After her first few camps, Vander Pas continued to attend different Epilepsy awareness groups through the Epilepsy Foundation of Chicago.
“A few months ago I was contacted by the Epilepsy Foundation of Chicago, and they told me that I was to be awarded to be the representative of the foundation, along with being admitted to the Kids Speak Up program,” Vander Pas said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
The Kids Speak Up Program recognizes teenagers who work hard to spread Epilepsy awareness and help to make a difference in the lives of other Epileptics. The program also entails a trip to Washington, DC to speak with legislators and to learn how to further be an advocate.
“I’m very excited to make the trip to Capitol Hill and further learn how to help people like myself,” Vander Pas said. “I hope to go into public speaking as a career, so this is a huge step for me.”
Vander Pas nominated the Epilepsy Foundation of Chicago for Charity Bash and plans to continue to speak to other students about Epilepsy, and the struggles along with it.