As of January 1, the Epilepsy Therapy Project and the Epilepsy Foundation merged and became one organization, the Epilepsy Foundation.  The first board meeting of the new organization was held this past weekend in Miami.  Jim and I flew down on Friday afternoon and participated in the tail end of the Anti-Epileptic Drug and Devices conference (AEDD).  The board meeting was Saturday.  All of the board members that were ETP board members were old friends, of course, and it was wonderful to see them again and catch up on their lives.  It was also equally lovely to meet the board members that I didn’t know—those from the original Epilepsy Foundation.  In a moment of insanity/weakness, I agreed to become Secretary of the Board.  (It really is impossible to say no to the CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation, Phil Gattone.  It gives him a most unfair advantage.)

The Epilepsy Foundation combines the missions of ETP (supporting research into promising new therapies for epilepsy) and the Epilepsy Foundation (improving the lives of people with epilepsy).

The board meeting was both uplifting and sobering.  Sobering because there is still such a lengthy journey to go before all those suffering from epilepsy can control their seizures without significant side effects.  Uplifting because of all those folks, both on the EF board and otherwise, who are both passionate and dedicated in their mission to help those suffering from this debilitating disease.

Please see www.epilepsy.com for more information.