A Wallaceburg woman living with epilepsy is taking part in a national challenge to shine a light on her condition and raise funding for important research.
Throughout the month of October, Lindsey Rollins will be walking the streets of Wallaceburg as part of the 1IN100 Challenge. Participants take part in the fundraiser by walking 100 km in support of Epilepsy Canada and the one in 100 Canadians who live with epilepsy.
Rollins, who has lived with her condition since the age of six, said she was inspired to take part in the challenge after seeing others in an online epilepsy support group who had held a fundraiser of their own.
“If it helps some little six-year-old girl, I’ll feel good inside, because I was put in blind. I didn’t know what seizures were, what epilepsy was, and nobody really knew what it was,” she said.
The 42-year-old Wallaceburg native said she will be wearing purple during her 100 km walk, the colour associated with epilepsy.
“I mapped out that if I do roughly four to five kilometres per day, I can do it the entire month, and I’ll still have a few days that if I don’t feel good, like if my seizures take control, I can take a rest,” said Rollins.
For many, daily life for those living with epilepsy comes with challenges that others may never see. Rollins said she hopes that by taking part in the fundraiser, she can also raise awareness and help reduce the stigma surrounding the condition.
“At school, I was always teased, I was the odd one out… I can’t even find a job and tell people that I have epilepsy,” she said. “It’s not as crazy as people make it out to be.”
Rollins will be fundraising throughout the month, with all proceeds going towards epilepsy research. Anyone interested in supporting Rollins by donating can visit her campaign page by clicking here.
