Correction!! You can have more than 1 seizure in your life!!! I think she meant to say you have 1 Brain in your whole lifetime!
Ever wonder what the Love Your Brain Now Tour teaches students? Perhaps it will help if we let you, our virtual visitors, and other schools know. We'll use Baldwin School in Alhambra as an example because we taught about 1,100 students there! We were welcomed by a great school nurse and great principal. Those two people are key to getting us in the school door and we are grateful. Essentially, we teach the messages of the Love Your Brain Now Bus Tour (see ABOUT at LoveYourBrainNow.org). The students are given a short questionnaire on white cardstock and are invited to visit the "Big Brain" exhibit to find the answers. They are asked to identify the four major parts of the brain and the main functions of each part of the brain. Depending on their grade level they can also learn about neurons, neurotransmitters, the cerebellum, and a seizure focus. The questionnaire also asks them to find ways to care for their brain. After visiting the "Big Brain" they gather around a Tour Team Member to review the form together. The key messages are: How many brains do you have? 1 How many brains are you going to get? 1 Since you have only 1 brain and it is the only 1 you will ever get, it is important to take care of your brain. If that isn't reason enough, let's review the major parts of the brain and how each part helps you every day. Now, that should give you more than enough reason to care for your brain. No matter what age you are there are ways that you can care for your brain. -Protect your brain (wear a helmet when you ride a bike) -Feed your brain (eat good food) -Rest your brain (get good sleep) -Exercise your brain (learn new things) -Exercise your body (get oxygen to the brain) Then we teach how anyone who has a brain can have a seizure at any time, so it is important to know seizure first aid. We teach a simplified version for the students. If someone has a seizure at their school, they should first tell an adult/teacher and then they can assist with the 4 S-words of Seizure First Aid: -Turn the person on their Side -Put something Soft under their head -Stay with them -Make sure they are Safe Then we make it personal and ask: What would you want your classmates to do for you if you had a seizure. And hopefully the answer back is: We would want others to care for us and do the 4 S-words. We close with a reminder about "The Golden Rule" - Treat others they way you want to be treated. We reinforce that there is no bullying in The Golden Rule because no one wants to be bullied. Instead, they should treat a classmate who has a seizure just the way they would want to be treated if they had a seizure. Finally, in closing: If all you remember from today is 3-4 ways to care for your brain and how to care for each other if any of you has a seizure, then you will have done a good thing for your brain! Susan, for the Tour Team I asked our guest on the tour bus to submit something for the blog this evening. I entitled it, “How Stella Got Her Groove Back”. Here is what she wrote… -Nate, Tour Team
At the 2012 Walk to End Epilepsy I reached out to Susan from the Epilepsy Foundation and told her I wanted to get involved as an Advocate. So today when I got a phone call from her I was super excited! Susan asked if I'd be interested in accompanying the Love Your Brain Now Tour Team up to Northern California. I was excited at first for the new experiences and to join the team to help educate others about the brain and epilepsy. As an artist I've recently been speaking up a little more about having epilepsy and trying to help others do the same when I can. And not even 10 minutes into the tour I had my first chance! While stopped at the promenade in Thousand Oaks, CA a man approached the tour bus, as many do, to inquire. As I stepped off the bus, Nathan, another Tour Team Member was in a heated debate over proper seizure first aid. The other man, also a doctor was insisting that when someone has a seizure, you should put something in their mouth. Eventually Susan came back and helped finish the discussion with the doctor. A DOCTOR THAT HAS SEIZURE FIRST AID WRONG!!?? SERIOUSLY!!! I also got to share some of my story with the doctor and I think he appreciated hearing my voice, as someone with epilepsy. I saw his eyes open up big when I shared my story with him and I think it's safe to say that he will no longer be telling his patients to put something in someone's mouth when they are having a seizure. We gave him some seizure first aid materials then were on our way to Ventura and Santa Barbara Regional Centers. When visiting Ventura County we met Erica and she took us on a tour of the facility as well. She happened to be grateful that we stopped by because apparently there have been a lot of people requesting information about epilepsy the past few weeks. It was also neat to see how medical information and resources are made available to people who might not be able to make trips into the bigger cities where more information can be found. For this reason, I think it's really important to keep the regional centers up to date with the latest information and I was happy to be part of a team doing that Now we're heading north for some school presentations. I look forward to taking some pictures. Photography is a passion of mine and I’ll post some from the road!! Ciao. Stella This past weekend was another chance to Reach Out to the community and help spread Epilepsy Awareness. A little over a week ago we got a phone call from Grassroots Acoustica Host Mark Islam. He wanted to put on a show that would benefit the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles so that's what we did!
Stefani Rose kicked off the set with her single Reaching Out, a wonderfully crafted song that resonates right with the heart. It wasn't too long before people started nodding their heads and picking up their cameras to document the performance for themselves. It was an incredible sight to see her sing so freely on the stage as she moves forward with her advocacy work! Following Stefani was Ranchers For Peace (a father-daughter duo) Jude Johnstone and Alan O'Day. All were excellent singer/songwriters in their own right. Jude Johnstone reminded us why musicians from Johnny Cash to Trisha Yearwood have covered her songs and Alan O'Day took us back to 1977 with his #1 Hit 'Undercover Angel'. A Fun Night for a Great Cause! Then it was time for me to take the stage and explain to everyone why we were really here. As part of the Love Your Brain Now bus tour, I explained to people how there were so many other mothers just like Stefani and how important it was to Reach Out. I also went over a little seizure first aid and am tempted to enlist the skill set of Alan O'Day. With his uncanny ability to channel the Muppets (as he did onstage and has written for Sesame Street), I'm sure we could put together an extremely informative case for children across the world about how to care for other kids who have epilepsy. Moving forward! Nate Jones Tour Team Member #LoveIt. It’s the hash tag for our Love Your Brain Now Bus Tour. We didn’t know it would have significance for another reason. Tonight we were on the Bus in downtown LA and we were just about to leave for a late lunch/dinner when we heard a knock on the Tour Bus door. His name was Robert. Her name was Katherine. They were at our Walk to End Epilepsy on October 28th and they remembered seeing the Bus there. This was an amazing chance meeting. Then they told us their story. Robert and Katherine had been friends a few years ago, but then they got separated by a move, but they still thought about each other. Then, out of the blue, Katherine had a grand mal tonic-clonic seizure while walking down the street and her head hit the sidewalk. She had amnesia for events before the fall and didn’t remember much about the prior two years. Robert heard about her accident and went to see her, but Katherine didn’t remember him. She was dealing with a recent diagnosis of "epilepsy". Finally, she read her diaries from the previous year when she and Robert were friends. Then she realized she had known him and she fell in love with him again. Now, he has committed himself to help care for her and join the cause. Robert joined Katherine and her family at the Walk to End Epilepsy. Then, out of the blue, Katherine and Robert ran into the Love Your Brain Now Bus, powered by EndEpilepsy.org, and joined us on the Bus for an evening in downtown LA. We had a great time hearing their story so we can help Katherine get specialty epilepsy care. The Katherine and Robert story is a great story – actually a mix of lots of stories – an unexpected seizure, a life changed, the power of love, the importance of having an advocate, and how those living with epilepsy can connect anywhere and anytime if they speak-up about epilepsy. It was a great day on the Bus Tour. Susan, for the Tour Team This blog is about school nurse, Christine, at the Margarita School. She is a wonderful school nurse in the Alhambra Unified School District. She went out of her way to contact Nathan Jones at our Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles to invite the Love Your Brain Now Bus and the “Big Brain” to come to her school to educate almost 700 students and their teachers about the importance of caring for the brain, preventing brain trauma, and about epilepsy and seizure first aid.
Chris was an enthusiastic participant the entire day – from welcoming us in the morning to providing us with pizza and homemade cookies at lunch to helping take-down the “Big Brain” in the afternoon. She really cared about her students receiving these important messages. You are a wonderful school nurse, Ms. Christine. We thank you and your fellow school nurses in California. All of you have such an important role in caring for students with epilepsy and helping all students to be more informed about epilepsy and to be more accepting and understanding of their classmates with epilepsy. This is a shout-out to Ms. Christine and to all school nurses who go the extra distance. Susan, for the Tour Team |