Family steps it up for a good cause

THE Ruiter family are putting on their running shoes and walking fifty kilometres during October as part of the Walk for Epilepsy campaign.

The nationwide event aims to raise awareness and money for the condition and has been organised by the Epilepsy Foundation since 2017 with the funds use to support and improve the lives of the 250,000 Australians living with the neurological disorder.

Anthea Ruiter and her family have been impacted by epilepsy after her son Ben was diagnosed with the condition as a teen.

Ms Ruiter said they were taking part in the Walk for Epilepsy because of the impact the illness had on their lives.

“It’s important to our family, we’ve watched Ben suffer seizures every day of his life since he was 13,” she said.

“We want to get an awareness out there because anyone can have a seizure out of the blue, so if it happens to someone else’s loved one they know what to do, how to cope and where to go for help.”

Mr Ruiter first had a seizure at 13 years old but was unable to gain a formal diagnosis until second event occurred.

His seizures weren’t just one specific type. They varied from complex events to an absence.

As a result, Mr Ruiter has been put on as many forms of epilepsy medication possible, with no success.

His family were also given multiple options to try gain control of his epilepsy, including surgeries and procedures but they have resulted in no success in preventing the seizures.

After one of Mr Ruiter’s surgeries, an infection affected his brain and skull, leaving a portion of his head sunken.

Yet he hasn’t let his epilepsy get in the way, especially his passion for cars, despite his condition stopping his ability to drive.

Ms Ruiter said if she could tell people one thing about epilepsy it would be there is much more to it than you think.

“One in three people have uncontrolled epilepsy, some people think it can be controlled by medication, but it’s not always the case,” he said.

“People need to know there is more than one kind of seizure as well.”

The Walk for Epilepsy goes from Saturday, 1 October until, Tuesday, 25 October with participants choosing their own distance, fundraising target and they take at their own pace and in their own way – whether it be walking, jogging, hopping or cycling.