Audrey Kaller, a teenage girl recently diagnosed with epilepsy, stepped on the stage at the Rose Bowl at the beginning of our Walk to End Epilepsy and wowed the crowd with the National Anthem. It was a great send-off for our Love Your Brain Now Bus Tour which launched from the Rose Bowl at the Walk. I think Audrey Kaller is like the “Malala” of the epilepsy community.
Audrey is a teenage girl who was very recently diagnosed with epilepsy, but she didn’t let that stop her. She refused to hide. She promptly joined our Walk to End Epilepsy. She educated her school about epilepsy. She posted Walk flyers everywhere. She asked those who love her to walk also. If you are familiar with the usual responses to “epilepsy,” you know that Audrey’s response is special. That’s why I think Audrey is slated to be an important example and advocate for young girls with epilepsy, and that’s why I think of her as the “Malala” of epilepsy.
The real Malala, in the northern valley of Swat, Pakistan, bravely spoke up to promote education for girls in Pakistan: while Audrey Kaller in Los Angeles is promoting understanding and awareness about an overlooked and often isolating brain disorder known as epilepsy.
Yes, I realize Audrey has many more advantages than Malala and she won't face the same risks. I know they probably have almost as many differences as similarities. But, in these ways they are similar: Both girls are similar ages, they are surrounded by ignorance about the causes they represent, but they are still bravely speaking up to make a difference and set an example for others.
This kind of courage inspires the bus tour. After all, that’s what we want to accomplish on the tour – provide a platform for people to speak-up and inspire others to join the fight to END EPILEPSY. I applaud both Malala and Audrey. I bless them.
Susan Pietsch-Escueta, for the Bus Tour Team
P.S. Having grown up in Pakistan, I spent many family vacations in Pakistan's beautiful Swat valley so I am very interested in Malala's story. Now, END EPILEPSY is my cause, and so I am also very interested to follow the story of Audrey Kaller.
Audrey is a teenage girl who was very recently diagnosed with epilepsy, but she didn’t let that stop her. She refused to hide. She promptly joined our Walk to End Epilepsy. She educated her school about epilepsy. She posted Walk flyers everywhere. She asked those who love her to walk also. If you are familiar with the usual responses to “epilepsy,” you know that Audrey’s response is special. That’s why I think Audrey is slated to be an important example and advocate for young girls with epilepsy, and that’s why I think of her as the “Malala” of epilepsy.
The real Malala, in the northern valley of Swat, Pakistan, bravely spoke up to promote education for girls in Pakistan: while Audrey Kaller in Los Angeles is promoting understanding and awareness about an overlooked and often isolating brain disorder known as epilepsy.
Yes, I realize Audrey has many more advantages than Malala and she won't face the same risks. I know they probably have almost as many differences as similarities. But, in these ways they are similar: Both girls are similar ages, they are surrounded by ignorance about the causes they represent, but they are still bravely speaking up to make a difference and set an example for others.
This kind of courage inspires the bus tour. After all, that’s what we want to accomplish on the tour – provide a platform for people to speak-up and inspire others to join the fight to END EPILEPSY. I applaud both Malala and Audrey. I bless them.
Susan Pietsch-Escueta, for the Bus Tour Team
P.S. Having grown up in Pakistan, I spent many family vacations in Pakistan's beautiful Swat valley so I am very interested in Malala's story. Now, END EPILEPSY is my cause, and so I am also very interested to follow the story of Audrey Kaller.