Month: January 2016

I always imagined celebrating my 40th birthday with some kind of massive party, one that left me really tired the next day and not ashamed to admit to an even more massive hangover. Then I turned 40 a few weeks ago and was exceptionally happy to have a quiet dinner with my parents and John. Not to mention my birthday is January 1st, so the number of people willing to party hard that day is few and far between.

Then I realized… duh…. I get to hula with the hosts of the century in Madison on January 23rd! And you can still join me. I’m so glad I saved myself for Lily’s Luau for Epilepsy Research. I even saved a picture of myself in a promo – please pardon the mid-sentence shot from the TV screen. Click here for details on Lily’s Luau!

I decided to list 40 reasons why YOU should attend Lily’s Luau in Madison this coming Saturday, January 23rd. It’s all for the CAUSE and eventually a CURE. It’s a long list but it means the world to me.

 

1. Lily’s Fund donates to the U.W.-Madison. I mean, really, is there a better University?
2. Union South – the new one, not the one I knew in the 90’s – is a beautiful venue. And you can stay overnight!
3. Free parking. (The Chicago girl sighs….)Free Parking Location
4. You can REGISTER NOW to bid on auction items … whether or not you can attend. Click here to register to bid!
5. Some of those auction items are for grieving Packers fans. Yes, I was born and raised in Chicago and live here again but I love the green and gold.
6. Making friends is the best part of the night. I have epilepsy, and it changed the course of my life in many difficult yet exciting ways. I am looking for new friends in the battle so please come if you need someone to talk to. It’s OK if you forget my name,just say “hey,” and we’ll chat.
7. At least one scientist will be wearing a grass skirt. A male. And I hear it’s good luck to dance with men in skirts.
8. The food. Did I mention there is an endless supply of amazing food? Mini tacos, veggie pot stickers, coconut shrimp, sushi rice salad…  and the dessert, well, I’ll let you check the full menu out online, it’s ridic. Lily’s Luau Menu
9. The list of local sponsors is incredible and I can’t thank them enough. Here are the “Diamond Head” sponsors: Clifford & Raihala Attorneys at Law, Culver’s VIP Foundation, Dean & St. Mary’s, First Choice Dental and MHK Retirement Partners. Here’s a link to the rest of the Generous Sponsors
10. It’s sponsored by News 3/Channel 3000. If you don’t watch them now, please do. And either way, it’s fun to see the folks you see on TV in person. This year we will miss morning anchor Charlotte Deleste but I will hopefully fill some small portion of that gap on the stage again with my friend Susan Siman.
11. I’ve been known to do push-ups for the right amount of Lily’s donations.
12. Your attendance helps fund cutting edge research that will make a difference for people living with epilepsy. The next several reasons are why that matters so much.
13.  1 in 26 people will be diagnosed with epilepsy in their lifetime.
14. 3 million Americans have epilepsy – 65 million around the world – and more than 200,000 are diagnosed every year.
15. Epilepsy impacts more people than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson’s combined, yet receives fewer federal dollars per patient than any of these.
16. In two-thirds of patients diagnosed with epilepsy, the cause is unknown. (It took doctors two years to diagnose me with the brain tumor that caused mine.)
17. Research could help folks coming back from serving in our country’s military, at high risk of developing PTE (post traumatic epilepsy) from head injuries.
18. Head injuries in sports that lead to concussions, can also lead to epilepsy. Athletes need our help, too.
19. Lily’s Fund Fellows: Research fellowships let young scientists or physicians work alongside experienced faculty members. By underwriting new fellowships at UW-Madison, Lily’s Fund encourages young scientists to focus on epilepsy.Fellows
20. Grace Grants: These $100,000 grants support projects carried out by individuals, cross-disciplinary teams, or entire departments.Grace Grants
21. Special Research Grants: Research grants that need immediate attention. Special Research Grants
22. Lily is an inspiration. She is a local girl who has struggled with and kicked epilepsy’s butt her whole life.
23. So is Grace. These girls are the reason we have this life-changing event and they attend every year.
24. The organizers, Anne Morgan Giroux and Colleen Penwell, moms of Lily and Grace, always come up with something new, fun and meaningful for the event. They are hard-working, sweet, hilarious and throw a tremendous party.
25. This Luau #8. Please help us break record numbers in terms of attendance and research.
26. The neuron project is one of the coolest, most creative ways to draw attention to epilepsy and the fight to cure it. And it’s thanks to Lily’s Fund. Read about the Neuron Project here. Or you can watch a story about it on the news! Neuron Project on Channel 3
27. Searching for that clip leads me to how I made news, as a newscaster once upon a time, whether I wanted to or not. I, along with millions of others, need more people to know what epilepsy is so no one thinks twice about hiring us.  Story about news reports
28. Kitt Foss sang to us at last year’s Luau. You have to show up to know what will give you goose bumps in 2016. Read about Kitt’s story in the Wisconsin State Journal
29. Raffle tickets are only $20 or 6 for $100! And you could win $1,000 in custom jewelry from William Thomas or a two-year 20,000 mile car lease from Uptown Motors. Merry Belated Christmas or Hanukkah, right?
30. Minnesota Coach Jerry Kill gave up his coaching career due to seizures. Jerry Kill story This shouldn’t have to happen. Too often we can’t find medication that works well enough for folks to continue professionally. But it didn’t stop Lily’s from getting the Badgers and the Gophers to jump around. Camp Randall Honored the 1 in 26
31. The list of “famous” people who have epilepsy is long. Learn about one you are a fan of and help us with the cause. Famous People with Epilepsy
32. There is no football on – no playoffs – on Saturday. Make a date with us.
33. It’s cold outside but it’s warm in Union South.
34. There is no political debate on – that I know of. And if I’m wrong, you can DVR it.
35. Bring your kids! Or get a sitter if your kids are too little and call it a date night.
36. Stress can bring on seizures. We don’t know enough about epilepsy and too many people go untreated.  Research can help.
37. About 50 out of 100 children outgrow epilepsy. Let’s make it “all” kids.
38. Epilepsy is most commonly diagnosed in people under 20 and over 65. They need our help.
39. How cool would it be to party with scientist who came up with the cure?
40. There are 40 kinds of seizures. It’s too many but we are going to beat epilepsy.