ON MAY 11 the North Wales village of Hawarden turned out for the 20th year to pay tribute to Sean, David and Mark, the children of Gill and Gordon Parry who had epilepsy and chorea-acanthocytosis. The Gladstone family again opened their large estate for the over 100 sponsored walkers who walked the 2 plus miles through a spring-flowered trail on a beautiful morning with a few showers. This has been a well-organized and enjoyable walk into fragrant woods and countryside that is seldom open except for these walks.
Alex Irvine again had the luxury of being carried by friends of Mark and David in a wheelchair improvised to be a sedan-chair. Later, many gathered to exchange memories and quench their thirst in the Glynne, a newly reopened local pub.The walkers each organized friends to sponsor their effort that together raised £4,500 for the Advocacy and the Epilepsy Research foundation. This money is much needed to continue and expand the research into these devastating diseases.
THE BIG GIVE plays an important part in our search to understand and treat NA, and this year we're asking all our supporters to make an extra effort to save the date: log on at 10AM GMT any day between the 5th and 18 December, and you can seize a rare chance to double your donation. The NA Advocacy will make its largest ever call for new research projects proposals in 2014, and the Big Give has never been more vital to our success.
Elyse Lakritz Weinbaum with daughters Emily and Ilana