Epilepsy Society

Grace Mathieson

Grace Mathieson

Grace Mathieson

My Story

I've entered the London Marathon ballot for years and had no luck. This year, I've been given a spot through my brother, Alex, having volunteered at the last one. So I thought that I'd try and raise some money for charity to make my pain and suffering worthwhile!

Most people may (or may not) know that Alex is my twin brother. He's two minutes older than me and never lets me forget it! If you know both of us, you'll know that Alex knows how to wind me up like no-one else on this planet. We were in the same class at primary school and when we were in Year 3 or 4 (so 2003/04), Alex started daydreaming. It would be like someone had just clicked their fingers and he'd go in to a daydream. After lots of tests and having wires connected to his brain, Alex was diagnosed with Epilepsy. The daydreaming was actually an absence seizure. The brain is a funny thing and he was then free from Epilepsy in 2005.

In 2015, Alex had his first grand mal seizure when he was round a friend's house playing FIFA. This is the type of seizure you'd think of when you hear the word "seizure". I was at uni at the time and I remember one of Alex's friends texting me to tell me what had happened, and I remember thinking it sounded a lot more serious than a bit of daydreaming.

Alex was then re-diagnosed with Epilepsy in 2018, and he's had a few grand mal seizures since. Each time he has one, it means he can't drive for another year as you have to be one year seizure free. His most recent seizure resulted in a trip to A&E thanks to a dislocated shoulder. Basically, Epilepsy is a real pain in the backside for everyone involved - especially Alex.

It's not the first instance of Epilepsy in our family as growing up, we used to go and visit our Great Auntie who had severe Epilepsy - so severe that she actually lived at the Epilepsy Society in Chalfont St Peter. 

I've therefore decided to run for the Epilepsy Society. They are the UK’s only charity transforming the lives of people with epilepsy through world-leading research, advocacy and care. Epilepsy affects everyone differently. You might not even know that you know someone with Epilepsy. Here are some stats for you:

- One in 20 people will have a one-off epileptic seizure at some point in their life (although this does not necessarily mean that they have epilepsy).

- One in 50 people will have epilepsy at some time in their life (not everyone with epilepsy will have it for life).

- Around 87 people are diagnosed with epilepsy every day.

- Over 600,000 people in the UK have epilepsy. That’s about one in every 100 people. There are around 60 million people with epilepsy in the world.

I know times are tough at the minute but if you can spare any pennies, I'd be really grateful. It'll make a difference to the Epilepsy Society and it'll really spur me on with my training.

Thanks so much,

Grace xx

Epilepsy Society

Raising for:

Epilepsy Society
101%

Funded

  • Target
    £2,000
  • Raised so far
    £2,012
  • Number of donors
    98

My Story

I've entered the London Marathon ballot for years and had no luck. This year, I've been given a spot through my brother, Alex, having volunteered at the last one. So I thought that I'd try and raise some money for charity to make my pain and suffering worthwhile!

Most people may (or may not) know that Alex is my twin brother. He's two minutes older than me and never lets me forget it! If you know both of us, you'll know that Alex knows how to wind me up like no-one else on this planet. We were in the same class at primary school and when we were in Year 3 or 4 (so 2003/04), Alex started daydreaming. It would be like someone had just clicked their fingers and he'd go in to a daydream. After lots of tests and having wires connected to his brain, Alex was diagnosed with Epilepsy. The daydreaming was actually an absence seizure. The brain is a funny thing and he was then free from Epilepsy in 2005.

In 2015, Alex had his first grand mal seizure when he was round a friend's house playing FIFA. This is the type of seizure you'd think of when you hear the word "seizure". I was at uni at the time and I remember one of Alex's friends texting me to tell me what had happened, and I remember thinking it sounded a lot more serious than a bit of daydreaming.

Alex was then re-diagnosed with Epilepsy in 2018, and he's had a few grand mal seizures since. Each time he has one, it means he can't drive for another year as you have to be one year seizure free. His most recent seizure resulted in a trip to A&E thanks to a dislocated shoulder. Basically, Epilepsy is a real pain in the backside for everyone involved - especially Alex.

It's not the first instance of Epilepsy in our family as growing up, we used to go and visit our Great Auntie who had severe Epilepsy - so severe that she actually lived at the Epilepsy Society in Chalfont St Peter. 

I've therefore decided to run for the Epilepsy Society. They are the UK’s only charity transforming the lives of people with epilepsy through world-leading research, advocacy and care. Epilepsy affects everyone differently. You might not even know that you know someone with Epilepsy. Here are some stats for you:

- One in 20 people will have a one-off epileptic seizure at some point in their life (although this does not necessarily mean that they have epilepsy).

- One in 50 people will have epilepsy at some time in their life (not everyone with epilepsy will have it for life).

- Around 87 people are diagnosed with epilepsy every day.

- Over 600,000 people in the UK have epilepsy. That’s about one in every 100 people. There are around 60 million people with epilepsy in the world.

I know times are tough at the minute but if you can spare any pennies, I'd be really grateful. It'll make a difference to the Epilepsy Society and it'll really spur me on with my training.

Thanks so much,

Grace xx