The Epilepsy Foundation Commends Rock Star Prince for Talking About It

The Epilepsy Foundation Commends Rock Star Prince for Talking About It

WASHINGTON, April 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Epilepsy Foundation applauds legendary rock star Prince for sharing his childhood experiences with epilepsy.

Prince revealed he had epilepsy during PBS's Tavis Smiley show. The award-winning musician said, "I used to have seizures when I was young and my mother and father didn't know what to do and how to handle it, but they did the best they could with what little they had."

Prince said he had to deal with a lot of things in life and attributed his past flamboyant behavior to being teased as a child. "Early in my career I tried to compensate for that by being as flashy as I could and as noisy as I could." He said he had never spoken publicly about his epilepsy before.

"The myths surrounding epilepsy have been part of our society for far too long," said Eric R. Hargis, president and CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation. "We are incredibly grateful that Prince has shown everyone with epilepsy the importance of following your dreams and talking about the condition. The Epilepsy Foundation has numerous programs and resources to help people with epilepsy cope with the challenges they face today, and we are the largest nonprofit funder for epilepsy research for a cure tomorrow."

Greg Grunberg, star of NBC's 'Heroes' and spokesperson for the Epilepsy Foundation said, " I can't thank Prince enough for sharing his personal story. My son had such a smile this morning when I told him that Prince had epilepsy and has gone on to live his dream of making music and changing lives. I welcome Prince to the community of celebrities and entertainers who are talking about epilepsy. Grunberg and the Epilepsy Foundation recently launched www.TalkAboutIt.org, a site where celebrities, healthcare professionals and the public are coming together to help end the stigma around epilepsy.

About Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a serious neurological condition that affects more than 3 million Americans and 50 million people worldwide. The condition produces seizures, which can range from a momentary disruption of the senses, to short periods of unconsciousness or staring spells, to convulsions. Currently there is no cure for epilepsy; however, more than half of people with epilepsy are able to control seizures with existing treatment options.

Source: Epilepsy Foundation

CONTACT: Kimberli Meadows, +1-301-918-3747, kmeadows@efa.org, or Kisha
James, +1-301-918-3768, kjames@efa.org, both of the Epilepsy Foundation

Web Site: http://www.efa.org/

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