Mission:
To inspire people with epilepsy to take One More Step towards achieving a fuller life.
Philip Haydon is a neuroscientist with medically controlled post-traumatic epilepsy. Phil started Sail For Epilepsy with a mission to inspire people with epilepsy to take One More Step towards achieving a fuller life, with the necessary safety measures in place. The goals are to:
- inspire people with epilepsy
- promote awareness of epilepsy and educate the public
- raise funds to support research for a cure
Sailing
Sail For Epilepsy posts photos, videos, and blogs and broadcasts live while underway, but this project is about more than sailing. During in-port events, Phil and his crew engage with the local community to share his story and hear about ways others are living a fuller life, despite epilepsy. He gives presentations with the goal of educating the public about epilepsy and seizure first aid.
Our hope is that attendees will then speak more openly about epilepsy, helping us amplify our messages and raising awareness about a disorder that will affect 1 in 26 in their lifetime.
When he casts off, Phil is sailing for anyone else with epilepsy, their families, and their caregivers. He also sails for those who have been lost as a result of epilepsy, to honor their memory and to raise funds for research, so that a future generation of people with epilepsy will have better seizure control.
Virtual Shipmates
We hope that Phil’s story will inspire you to join our One More Step Challenge and embark on your own personal voyage to live a fuller life.
To recognize the courage of the One More Step Challenge participants, we add their first names to the boat so that these Virtual Shipmates can come along for our voyages. Some Virtual Shipmates receive a live video call from Phil when he’s underway.
Phil also makes videos featuring Virtual Shipmates. By sharing these inspirational stories, we raise awareness not only about epilepsy but about ways that people with epilepsy aren’t letting this disorder define them.
Ways to Give
There are many ways that you can support the epilepsy community by giving to Sail For Epilepsy. Visit our Ways to Give section to learn more about how you can support Sail For Epilepsy.
The One More Step Challenge: Are you able to take one extra step to do something you haven’t done before, with the necessary safety measures in place?
Celebrate our global community of Virtual Shipmates who joined the One More Step Challenges on a personal voyage towards living a fuller life.
The Sail For Epilepsy voyages, skippered by a person with epilepsy, offer an example of living a fuller life. View the latest updates, photos, and videos sent in from the boat.