For the Media

Kids Speak Up! on Capitol Hill About Epilepsy

4th Annual Event Sponsored by the Epilepsy Foundation

Landover, Md., March 10, 2005 -- Children with epilepsy and their families will converge on Capitol Hill to take part in the Epilepsy Foundation's Kids Speak Up! Campaign. The participants will meet with their senators or congressional representative on April 6, 2005, on behalf of the 2.5 million Americans living with epilepsy.

Kids Speak Up! rallies young ambassadors with epilepsy between the ages of 7 and 16 to personally petition congressional leaders for aid in assuring better access to care, improved public education and research towards a cure for epilepsy. Approximately 45,000 children under the age of 15 develop epilepsy each year.

"For people living with epilepsy Kids Speak Up! is an important bridge toward gaining greater support for epilepsy programs," said Tony Coelho, chair-elect of the board of directors of the Epilepsy Foundation. "These children are serving as ambassadors for those living with epilepsy to remind legislators that their decisions could mean the difference between help for today and hope for tomorrow for their constituents."

This is the fourth annual Kids Speak Up! event, which is made possible by an educational grant from Abbott Laboratories. "Our nearly 60 affiliates across the country team up with children and their families from local areas to participate in Kids Speak Up! We are grateful to Abbott for supporting our efforts to reduce the stigma associated with epilepsy and seizure disorders," said Eric Hargis, CEO and President of the Epilepsy Foundation. "Children with seizure disorders face unique challenges in school such as attendance, peer acceptance and seizure first-aid care."

Epilepsy is the most common neurological condition in children and the third most common in adults after Alzheimer’s and stroke. Despite modern therapy, about 1 million people continue to experience seizures or significant side effects from treatment. An Epilepsy Foundation report published in 2000 revealed that epilepsy costs the nation more than $12.5 billion a year in healthcare and unemployment.

About the Epilepsy Foundation

The Epilepsy Foundation, a national charitable organization founded in 1968, is dedicated to supporting children and adults affected by seizures through research, education, advocacy and service. The national office located in the Metropolitan area of Washington, D.C., has nearly 60 affiliated Epilepsy Foundations providing local services throughout the nation. For additional information, please visit http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org.

Abbott Laboratories is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs more than 55,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

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