I can think of a hundred different things I would rather have heard than, "Your brother had a seizure at school and had to be taken to the hospital." When I heard, I panicked a little. I mean, this is my little brother. All I wanted to do was be with him. When I saw my brother , he was fine, but I was still left wondering… would he really be OK? Today, looking back, I know my panic wasn't really necessary. Much worse things could have happened to my little brother. His epilepsy doesn't stop him from having a full and healthy life. This condition has the unfortunate tendency to bring out the strangest misconceptions, like the person is possessed, he or she is mentally challenged, the condition is contagious, etc. None of these are true. Because epilepsy is so prevalent, we need to start educating everyone about it. I want to make sure people don't have the initial reactions I did. With Out of the Shadows, I know we'll be able to do just that."

From Tony Coelho, author of the Americans with Disabilities Act

“Show me an epilepsy advocate with a personal connection to the cause and I'll show you an advocate with more effectiveness than the most gifted orator. From a political standpoint, if my years in Congress taught me anything, it's that a constituent's personal story has a better chance at leaving a lasting impression on a decision-maker than a slew of statistics and rhetoric. For this reason, the Epilepsy Foundation is extremely fortunate to not only have an articulate celebrity advocate like Amy, but also one who can speak straight from the heart and from first-hand experience about this condition.

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