Epilepsy is a form of nervous system disorder and it afflicts more than 60 million people worldwide. A person who is epileptic may not display signs or symptoms and they could be the person standing next to you in the train or walking past you without you knowing it. Epilepsy causes seizures in the patient, and may be characterized by minor to uncontrollable shaking and in some extent, fainting spells and unconsciousness. They may briefly lose motor and bodily functions during the epileptic seizure episodes and in some cases urinary incontinence may occur. There is no specific root cause for epileptic seizures, and probable factors that may induce the effects include brain trauma, brain tumour, stroke and substance abuse. There have been documented cases whereby genetic mutations have been identified as the possible trigger for some patients. The after effect of an episode of epileptic seizure differs from individual to individual. Some patients find it hard to remember the episode, others are overcome by lethargy and numbness. There is no known cure for epilepsy to date, and forms of medication are often administered to control the seizures and prevent recurrence. However, not all patients react positively to medication, and these patients may require surgery or neurological stimuli to address the disorder. Knowing the fact that an epileptic seizure could occur at any time without warning, many patients are affected psychologically, withdrawn and isolating themselves from the community and falling into a depressive state of mind. It is not just about the physical pain and suffering, but also the mental and emotional anguish that an epileptic patient has to endure.

I am very well aware of this, as someone who is very close to me suffers from epilepsy. Someone who I grew up with, who I shared my dolls with and who hugged me tight when I was sad and unhappy. I always wished I could do the same for her but we are miles apart now. It has been 13 years since my sister suffered her first seizure, but it felt like it was just yesterday. She has had multiple seizures since then, but the one that stays in my mind and brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it, happened during my nephew’s 1st birthday celebration. My brother and I were sharing a joke when my sister walked out of the washroom and came towards us. I clearly remember the smile on her face as our eyes met; but mere seconds had passed and that smile slowly faded away as her facial expression changed and she started shaking uncontrollably, swayed and collapsed in a heap on the ground. My heart sank and my mind went blank as I ran towards her and held her in my arms. Her whole body was spasmic to my touch, and her eyes blinked uncontrollably. Although she couldn’t speak, I could see that she was conscious of what was going on and it broke my heart that she tried to push me away so that I wouldn’t see her suffering. It was a while before I could compose myself and put the episode behind me. That seizure my sister had wasn’t the worst, nor was it the last, and there were other times when she was physically hurt during her epileptic seizures due to falls and knocks. I am constantly amazed by her silent strength and all that she has to go through and more. Life in itself is not easy, what more to have to cope with a nervous system disorder that threatens to flare up without warning. I am very proud to stand by my sister and I pray and hope, that one day there will be a cure to take it all away.

It is with that reason that, when the opportunity arose, I decided to take the plunge and create awareness of epilepsy via SimplyGiving and through the channel that is the Malaysian Society of Epilepsy (Persatuan Epilepsi Malaysia). By creating awareness and bringing the condition of this disorder to the attention of mass public, I sincerely hope that more people will understand what epilepsy is about and start extending a helping hand and open their arms to epilepsy patients. This fund-raising program I am embarking on is in conjunction with the Standard Chartered KL Marathon where I will be completing 42.195km on foot around the Klang Valley in a bid to raise funds that will allow the Malaysian Society of Epilepsy to create more programs and events that may ultimately put us a step closer to society acceptance and assistance. Every little support goes a long way. It can start with you. Thank you and God bless.

癫痫症就是大众所说的发羊吊。 它是一种长期性神经系统疾病,全世界大约有6千万的人口患上癫痫症。癫痫症病患平时并无任何症状，没发病时你无法察觉你身边哪一位是病患。每位病患在病发时都会有不同形式的抽搐，有些是身体的某一部位或是全身抽搐，当病发抽搐时他们会丧失意识，也有可能会尿失禁等等。发作之后病患会感到疲累，语言困难，行为异常和不记得在发作期间所发生的事。

癫痫症病源可能会是因为脑部创伤，肿瘤，服毒，中风等等；虽然有例案显示基因突变可能导致病发，但是大多数的病患是无法确认病因。癫痫症目前是无法根治的，大多数病患都是以药物来控制病情与预防病发。尽管如此，并非所有病患都对药物有反应，这些病患需要手术或刺激神经来稳定病情。由于病情复发前毫无预兆，再加上癫痫症的病发特征带来许多的负面影响，导致许多患者都会遭受到社会的白眼，被孤立，让患者饱受身躯和精神上的煎熬，有些病患甚至因此而患上忧郁症。

以上是癫痫症的简介。  

我非常清楚这些经历，那是因为我的至亲也是一名癫痫病患者。一位陪我一起长大，非常照顾我和疼爱我的人。

我的姐姐患上了癫痫症已经有13年了，她每一次病发都会有不同的形式的抽搐，由于分隔两地，每次病发时我都不在她身边，让我印象最深刻的一次却是在侄儿一周岁的晚宴;那时候我和哥哥在厕所外等着她。她上了厕所，笑容满脸地走出来时，忽然之间她笑容僵硬原地转圈圈，然后全身抽搐倒在地上 ，当时我的心往下沉，脑袋一阵空白，但我们赶紧上前扶她到角落；我看见她嘴边有液体流出，手脚抽搐及身体肌肉僵硬。 虽然当时她无法以语言表达自己，眼睛不断眨眼，但是我感觉到她还保持着意识的，她尝试把我推开因为她不想让我看见她病发的样子。我用了一段时间才能平复自己的心情，把这件事故放下。这次的病发其实并不算最严重，也不是最后一次；她也曾经因为病发失去意识摔倒在地上而导致身体及头部受伤，但是她一次又一次的熬过来。她的经历让我看到她的坚强，有这么一位姐姐是我感到最骄傲的事。生活原本就不简单，要面对随时来袭的神经系统疾病，需要更大的勇气，我希望和祈求癫痫症会有根治的一天。

因此，我决定为同样遭遇的病人做些事，希望通过马来西亚癫痫症协会Malaysian Society of Epilepsy (Persatuan Epilepsi Malaysia)的协助下，让大家知道更多关于癫痫症，让病患都能得到更多社会的支持与关怀。 这一次我希望凭藉参与吉隆坡渣打馬拉松，跑完全程42.195公里来籌得善款 ，能够让Malaysian Society of Epilepsy (Persatuan Epilepsi Malaysia)帮助更多的癫痫症病患。你的小小善心，是让他们走出阴霾的勇气。谢谢您。