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February 2026 Newsletter

February Newsletter from the Epilepsy Foundation of Virginia

FEBRUARY 2026 NEWSLETTER

EPILEPSY FOUNDATION OF VIRGINIA

PROMOTE AWARENESS, PROVIDE ASSISTANCE
WWW.EPILEPSYVA.COM

DONATE TO KEEP OUR PROGRAMS GOING!

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Join us at the FREE 2026 Epilepsy Heroes Day Conference on March 21st, 2026!

The Epilepsy Foundation of Virginia's Epilepsy Heroes Day Conference is meant to celebrate our epilepsy heroes for Epilepsy Heroes Day, celebrated nationally on March 26th.

This year, please join EFVA as 5 physicians and 3 epilepsy heroes speak at the Doubletree by Hilton in Norfolk (1500 N Military Hwy, Norfolk, VA 23502) on March 21, 2026 from 9am-2pm.

Don't miss one of our 2025 Elizabeth Hart Dalton Scholarship students, Keira Lozado, who will be speaking at the conference!

We hope to see you there for a day of celebration, education, and community!

This is a FREE event, with lunch and refreshments served for epilepsy families.

Read more and register here

2026 Elizabeth Hart Dalton Memorial Scholarship open for applications

The recipient of the Elizabeth Hart Dalton Memorial Scholarship is a student who has shown courage in dealing with epilepsy and seizures, commitment to their education, and perseverance in eliminating the obstacles that epilepsy and seizures may present. Scholarships in the amount of $2,500 are awarded to selected students. There have been ten recipients of this scholarship so far.

Deadline: May 31, 2026

Click here to read more and find out student eligibility for the 2026 scholarships.

The 2026 Tour de Midnight kicks into gear!

The planning meetings for the 11th Annual Tour de Midnight are beginning this month. Make sure to mark your calendars for October 17th, 2026. We'll see you in Rockville, Chesapeake, or Vienna!

Read more about the Tour de Midnight on epilepsyva.com

Are you interested in sponsoring the Tour de Midnight?

See the sponsorship prospectus here! (PDF)

Scholarship recipient Messiah shares wisdom at Virginia Epilepsy Support Group

The Virginia Epilepsy Support Group was delighted to have one of the two Elizabeth Hart Dalton Scholarship recipients of 2025, Messiah Sears, as a special guest speaker on January 28th.

Messiah, speaking to the 23 support group attendees from his college dorm room, discussed his journey and his longer-term career goals. He wants to be a psychologist and work with kids, he said, “and don’t listen to people who don’t believe in you.” The soft-spoken young man graduated from his high school in the top 15% of his class, and was chosen to be a scholarship recipient primarily due to his essay about living with epilepsy.

Messiah described living with seizures during his earlier years, experiencing a seizure in class without remembering any of it, and talked openly about the discouragement that he has received. “It might sneak in. Don’t let it become regular,” the college freshman told the support group, briefly mentioning that he distanced himself from former friends who joked about his seizures or weren’t supportive of him. Other epilepsy heroes and family members on the call agreed. "I want her [my daughter] to be around people who uplift her and know that her epilepsy is something she HAS, not who she is,” confirmed Lauren, an epilepsy mom.

Throughout his school years, Messiah’s mom, who also attended the support group, has been adamant about making sure that teachers don’t give him a hard time because of his epilepsy. "He's a hard worker, and he's resilient. You have to advocate, advocate, advocate,” she advised, emphasizing the need to teach her son to be able to be his own advocate. “There aren't really resources anywhere. They're only just starting to to train teachers and coaches on what epilepsy is."

Messiah played sports in high school, not letting his seizures stop him, and has continued in college, with his seizures thankfully remaining controlled by his medication. During his high school sports days, he had an anti-seizure medication in the form of a nasal spray, but it got complicated, he recalls. “They [the school] didn’t want to administer it because it’s technically a class C drug.” Discussion followed about lack of epilepsy training and education in schools, as well as availability of ASMs and students’ ability to carry their ASMs. [ EFVA notes that as of 2025, Virginia law states that students with epilepsy are legally allowed to self-carry seizure rescue medication in accordance with submission and approval of their school’s seizure action plan (read more here and here). ]

Support group members asked about living with epilepsy in college, which Messiah was able to answer handily. They have all sorts of accommodations, he confirmed, including non-lofted dorm beds, semi-private suites, and being able to place students on lower floors with easier access by ambulances if the need arises.

“What kind of advice would you give to a younger person?” someone asked.

"Don't feel like it's [epilepsy] something that hinders you or define you. Use it as inspiration to push higher.” Messiah thought for a minute. “And just because you see things differently, doesn't make you below anyone.”

"Don't feel like [epilepsy] is something that hinders you or define you. Use it as inspiration to push higher.”

-Messiah Sears

Thank you so much for speaking at the support group, Messiah!

Thank you to GMU Women's Basketball for your recognition of EFVA!

Many thanks to regional codirector Shrinidhi for working with GMU and representing EFVA!

Language matters: How do you refer to yourself or others with epilepsy?

Source: Alamy stock photo

January's support group included an excellent discussion about language and how to refer to epilepsy heroes themselves and individuals with epilepsy.

Words are powerful! Try making these exchanges:

Instead of saying that you "suffer from epilepsy," it's better to say that you're "experiencing epilepsy," suggested one support group member.

And someone with epilepsy is not "an epileptic", they're just "a person who has epilepsy".

What other word choices would you suggest? Let us know!

Disability Lawyer speaks at Virginia Epilepsy Support Group

Erika Jacobsen White, a civil rights lawyer practicing in the DC, Maryland and Virginia region, joined the February support group to discuss disability rights and laws.

Disability rights tips for epilepsy heroes:

Know your rights! Discrimination and retaliation are against the law at all stages of hiring and employment. Federal laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) apply to everyone, but each state has its own, more specific laws that grant you more rights- like the Virginians with Disabilities Act (VDA).

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- https://www.ada.gov/

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
- https://www.eeoc.gov/contact-eeoc

Document everything you can in writing. Keep a record of requests for leave, requests for accommodations, and anything else from a situation where you feel like your rights may be at risk. If you were not allowed to take leave or were not given a certain accommodation, and you make a complaint to your management, make sure to do it in writing and document it.

Communication is important. You will need to communicate with your doctor to share what your job duties are, so that they can help you determine what accommodations might help you. You will also need to start the conversation with your employer about asking for those accommodations, and may need to have a longer back-and-forth discussion about alternatives and to find options that work for everyone involved.

Requiring a full medical release is practically never required. If an employer asks for a full medical release, do not sign it. You may want to contact a lawyer.

You can always reach out to a lawyer or free legal aid if you think you have been discriminated against. The National Epilepsy Foundation's legal aid website, https://www.epilepsy.com/legal-help is a great place to start.

Filing for discrimination or retaliation is time-sensitive. Depending on the situation, you may only have 180 days after the incident to file a discrimination charge.

Thank you for joining us to share your expertise, Erika!

Upcoming Paint Nights

Looking to let out your creative side? Join EFVA and other epilepsy heroes at our virtual Paint Nights! Attendees paint, draw, sketch, and use their imaginations to respond to artistic prompts.

Paint Nights are 3 Tuesdays each month, from 6-7pm! Participants use their own materials to create artworks and share them with others during this fun and engaging event.

Email Lowell Evans at efva.evans@gmail.com to request the Zoom link.

See our calendar for upcoming paint nights

If you are an epilepsy hero in need of a paint kit to join in, please contact us! We have paint kits to distribute thanks to the Jack and Jill Club of Reston.

UPCOMING SUPPORT GROUPS

See all meetings on calendar or epilepsyva.com/supportgroups

Inova Neuroscience and Spine Institute
1st Tuesday every month
Link to flyer

EFVA Central Virginia Chapter
2nd Monday every month
2026 flyer and info coming soon!

Virginia Epilepsy Support Group
4th Wednesday every month

SHARE flyer. For more info, google "DC Metro Epilepsy Meetup". Meets both hybrid and virtually, twice per month! Weekend trips in VA. Social gatherings. Over 500 members. For more info contact Fairfax County resident Marc Starnes at marc.starnes1@gmail.com or 571-278-6524.

S.H.A.R.E.
Dates and times change, check website

SHARE invites epilepsy heroes of the DC metropolitan area, Virginia, and Maryland region to meet with other epilepsy heroes over zoom and in person! Meeting times vary each month- for more information, check the website.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Our epilepsy community is stronger each year because of YOU.

Thank you. Your donations help us to continue to educate, empower, and advocate for and with people living with epilepsy

MAKE A DONATION

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Register now for programs and events offered by the EFVA!

epilepsyva.com/calendar

1 in 26 people will be diagnosed with epilepsy during their lifetime.

3.4 million in the united states live with epilepsy. White text over a purple outline of the contiguous USA.

EFVA 2024-2025 Financial Documents:

990 Form

Audit

Annual Report (2024-2025)

560 Ray C. Hunt Drive
P.O. Box 800754 - UVA Medical Center
Charlottesville, VA 22908

DONATE NOW TO SUPPORT OUR WORK!

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Epilepsy Foundation of Virginia · 560 Ray C. Hunt Drive · Charlottesville, Va 22903 · USA

EFVA Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2024-2025

Epilepsy Foundation of VA 2024-2025 Annual Report

2024-2025 ANNUAL REPORT

EPILEPSY FOUNDATION OF VIRGINIA

PROMOTE AWARENESS, PROVIDE ASSISTANCE
WWW.EPILEPSYVA.COM

DONATE TO KEEP OUR PROGRAMS GOING!

Dear Donors:

You were so good to donate to us this last fiscal year. I am proud to send you our 2024-2025 annual report, which shows we reached 3.7 million Virginians.

Gratefully yours,

Suzanne Bischoff
Executive Director
Epilepsy Foundation of Virginia

560 Ray C. Hunt Drive
P.O. Box 800754 - UVA Medical Center
Charlottesville, VA 22903

DONATE year end donations very welcome.

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Epilepsy Foundation of Virginia · 560 Ray C. Hunt Drive · Charlottesville, Va 22903 · USA