‘Seize the Moment’ run in Sacramento set to bring awareness to epilepsy
Saturday, the Sacramento community is coming together to raise awareness about seizures and “SUDEP” at the ninth annual ‘Seize the Moment’ run.
THIS WEEKEND IN SACRAMENTO, THE COMMUNITY IS COMING TOGETHER FOR A POWERFUL CAUSE. THE NINTH ANNUAL SEASONAL RUN FOR EPILEPSY IS TAKING PLACE. THE EVENT RAISES AWARENESS ABOUT SEIZURES AND SET UP. AND JOINING US THIS MORNING TO TALK MORE ABOUT THIS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE EPILEPSY FOUNDATION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, NATALIA SUTURE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. LET’S START HERE BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT THE RUN. THE NUMBERS ARE STRIKING RIGHT NOW. CAN YOU BREAK DOWN HOW OFTEN WE’RE SEEING SEIZURES ACROSS THE U.S.? WELL, ACTUALLY 1 IN 26 PEOPLE ARE DIAGNOSED OR WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH EPILEPSY IN THE U.S. AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIFE. AND 1 IN 10 PEOPLE WILL HAVE A SEIZURE AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIFE. CALIFORNIA IS THE STATE WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY OUT OF THE STATES IN THE UNITED STATES. SO I THINK IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT. CALIFORNIA, YOU KNOW, STAND UP FOR EPILEPSY. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. AND I THINK THERE’S A MISCONCEPTION TOO, ABOUT EPILEPSY. SOME FOLKS MAY THINK THAT, WELL, IF I’M NOT BORN WITH IT, I PROBABLY WON’T GET DIAGNOSED WITH IT. BUT THAT’S NOT EXACTLY TRUE. YOU CAN BE DIAGNOSED LATER IN LIFE. THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT. ESPECIALLY AS CHANGES IN YOUR BRAIN HAPPEN. WHETHER YOU FALL OFF A MOTORCYCLE OR YOU HAVE AN EXTREMELY HIGH FEVER, THERE’S MULTIPLE WAYS THAT SOMEONE MIGHT HAVE A SEIZURE THAT ISN’T NECESSARILY DIAGNOSED WHEN THEY’RE A CHILD. THERE’S A LOT OF OTHER WAYS, BUT ONLY SCRATCHING THE SURFACE HERE. YEAH, IT’S DEFINITELY THERE’S A LOT OF FACTORS TO IT. AND I THINK ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS IS EVERYBODY IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH EPILEPSY BY THIS POINT, BUT THERE’S NOT A LOT OF FUNDING THAT GOES TOWARDS IT. TALK ABOUT JUST THAT STRUGGLE BECAUSE AGAIN, THAT’S SOMETHING THEY DIRECTLY INVOLVE YOURSELF WITH AS FAR AS TRYING TO RAISE AWARENESS AND MONEY FOR THIS. ABSOLUTELY. I THINK ONE OF THE BIG FACTORS FOR INCREASING EPILEPSY AWARENESS AND GIVING THE SERVICES THAT PEOPLE NEED IS MAKING SURE WE DO HAVE THE FUNDING, WHETHER THAT’S STATE FUNDING OR EVEN PRIVATE FUNDING THROUGH DONORS. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I BELIEVE REPRESENTATIVE MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ RECENTLY SPONSORED A PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT WAS MEANT TO HELP WITH FUNDING FOR EPILEPSY AT A STATE LEVEL. I BELIEVE IT’S THE CALIFORNIA EPILEPSY PROGRAM, AND I WANT TO THANK EPILEPSY FOUNDATION OF LA FOR REALLY HELPING WITH THAT. LET’S TALK ABOUT SUDEP. DID I PRONOUNCE THAT CORRECTLY? YOU DID. OKAY, SO WHAT IS THAT AND WHY SHOULD FOLKS BE AWARE OF THAT? SO SUDEP STANDS FOR SUDDEN UNEXPECTED DEATH IN EPILEPSY. AND UNFORTUNATELY, SOME PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY MIGHT PASS AWAY BECAUSE OF A SEIZURE, EITHER AT NIGHT OR DUE TO SUFFOCATION OR CARDIAC ARREST. SOME CAUSES OF DEATH IN EPILEPSY OR SEIZURES AREN’T KNOWN TO THE STATE, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW IT’S IMPORTANT TO TAKE SEIZURES SERIOUSLY AND TO PRACTICE SEIZURE FIRST AID. OF COURSE, AS FAR AS SATURDAY’S RUN, EVERYONE’S INVITED. ABSOLUTELY. WHERE IS IT AND HOW CAN FOLKS SIGN UP? THEY CAN GO TO W W W DOT EPILEPSY.ORG/RUN WILL BE IN CROCKER PARK STARTING AT 7 A.M. TOMORROW, WHICH IS SATURDAY THE 28TH. AND WE’D LOVE TO SEE YOU THERE. PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT THE EPILEPSY COMMUNITY AGAIN. RAISING AWARENESS
‘Seize the Moment’ run in Sacramento set to bring awareness to epilepsy
Saturday, the Sacramento community is coming together to raise awareness about seizures and “SUDEP” at the ninth annual ‘Seize the Moment’ run.
Updated: 2:17 PM PDT Mar 27, 2026
This weekend in Sacramento, the community is coming together for a powerful cause. The ninth annual “Seize the Moment” run is taking place Saturday, with the goal of bringing awareness to seizures and “SUDEP.””One in 26 people are diagnosed, or will be diagnosed with epilepsy in the U.S. at some point in their life,” said Natalia Sucher, executive director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Northern California. “California is the state with the highest number of people with epilepsy out of the states in the United States.”The event is also meant to spread awareness of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, or “SUDEP.” One of the goals Saturday is to educate the public on seizure first-aid to reduce the risk of SUDEP.The run takes place Saturday in Crocker Park at 211 O St. in Sacramento. Events start at 10 a.m. and include a kids half-mile, 10k, and 5k. All ages are welcome.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
This weekend in Sacramento, the community is coming together for a powerful cause. The ninth annual “Seize the Moment” run is taking place Saturday, with the goal of bringing awareness to seizures and “SUDEP.”
“One in 26 people are diagnosed, or will be diagnosed with epilepsy in the U.S. at some point in their life,” said Natalia Sucher, executive director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Northern California. “California is the state with the highest number of people with epilepsy out of the states in the United States.”
The event is also meant to spread awareness of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, or “SUDEP.” One of the goals Saturday is to educate the public on seizure first-aid to reduce the risk of SUDEP.
The run takes place Saturday in Crocker Park at 211 O St. in Sacramento. Events start at 10 a.m. and include a kids half-mile, 10k, and 5k. All ages are welcome.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel