My name is Meredith French. I am nine years old and in the third grade I have temporal lobe epilepsy.​

When I was diagnosed, my mom researched for local advocacy centers, but there were not any to be found. South Dakota ​

does not have an official office for Epilepsy Advocacy ​

anywhere within the entire state! Although Epilepsy affects ​

just as many people as cancer and more than cystic fibrosis, ​

multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and tuberculosis ​

combined and kills more people annually than breast cancer, there is nothing set up within the state of South Dakota to bring awareness to the disorder.​

My epilepsy is very mild in comparison to what many others struggle with. Still, I feel it is important to bring awareness home to our state and our community because I can’t be the only one in South Dakota or even in Aberdeen facing the disorder. With the help of my family and several family friends, I have taken it upon myself to organize an Epilepsy Awareness Event which will also serve as a fundraiser for Epilepsy Research.​

To make an impact, I have decided to throw a Mad Hatter Tea Party (because “Alice in Wonderland” is based off the author, Lewis Carroll’s, own epilepsy) to bring awareness to this forgotten epidemic that affects one in one-hundred people in our nation.​

The event will help me bring awareness to the community about the disorder. It will also help to bring people within our community who have the disorder together in a way that they have never been able to meet before. Until now, there was nothing organized for us to find each other. The proceeds from the event will be paid in full to the Epilepsy Foundation of the United States of America. They are an organization geared towards advocating fair classrooms for students who have the disorder, educating communities, providing assistance to epilepsy sufferers, and researching a cure.  The Foundation provides countless resources to affected adults and children and their caregivers while preparing them as they face attacks on their feelings throughout their day-to-day lives and in the societies in which they live.​



I know it might be hard to take me seriously because I’m a kid. I want you to know, though, that I am very smart and I am driven and I have overcome a lot of things already even though I’ve only been a person for nine years. I also have a lot of help from my parents and family and our friends. However, I do need YOUR support.​

I hope I can count on you and/or your organization sponsoring this event. Your sponsorship will not only help save lives and build confidence in people throughout the community and state, but will also offer you and/your company to receive recognition among your community as an entity that cares.​

I hope the rest of this packet will help you in your decision-making. Also, whether you choose to sponsor my event or not, I hope you have a great holiday season and a fantastic new  year.
  
Sincerely,

Meredith French