JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than 150 people filled the Jacksonville Zoo on Saturday morning, trading a typical weekend outing for a walk with a purpose: raising awareness for epilepsy.
The annual “Walk the Talk,” hosted by Epilepsy Alliance Florida, brought families, friends and supporters together — many wearing purple — to spotlight a condition organizers say affects more than 500,000 people in Florida, the highest prevalence in the country.
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The alliance also notes that 1 in 26 Americans will experience epilepsy at some point in their lives.
For many participants, the cause is personal, saying they are supporting family members, to friends, to a science teacher.
“Epilepsy comes with a huge stigma,” Egozi said. “We feel like if we talk about it and we put it out there in the community, people understand that it exists.” Said Karen Egozi, president and CEO of Epilepsy Alliance Florida.
Among the walkers was Regina Bradford, who said epilepsy changed nearly every part of her life after she began having seizures following a car accident years ago.
“My license was taken away,” Bradford said. “People had to take me back and forth to work.”
Bradford said successful brain surgery gave her a second chance — and a reason to keep showing up for others.
“At that time, I thought I had lost my whole life,” she said. “But nope, everything was so successful. Now I turned around and help Epilepsy Florida out.”
The morning included a group dance before the walk, then a route through the zoo packed with conversation, laughter and encouragement.
Heather Harris, a third-year participant, said her family keeps coming back because of the help they’ve received.
“Epilepsy Alliance has been a great foundation. They’ve helped out our family,” Harris said. “We just want to pay it back to them and help them out any way we can.”
Epilepsy Alliance Florida is a nonprofit that has several offices, including Jacksonville on 5209 San Jose Blvd.