Epilepsy is often seen as a silent illness, but Julia Vieira is hoping to change that.
Ms Vieira is holding a fundraiser in Ravenhall for the Epilepsy Foundation this month, inspired to raise awareness and funds for the foundation after her daughter Liliana was diagnosed with the disease last year.
It was news that shocked her family.
“We were on a family holiday in Warnambool, and Liliana wasn’t feeling well and we went out to a dinner and she collapsed and started having a seizure,” Ms Vieira said.
“I had to perform CPR on her, and she had two more seizures … before it was confirmed in August that she has epilepsy.
“All up she has had six seizures, with the last one going for 25 minutes when she was at school. One of the kids put her in the recovery position on the playground and a teacher performed CPR so they handled it really well.”
She said she wanted to help raise funds and awareness after realising how little the general community understood about the disease.
“Over the last year I’ve noticed that most people don’t like to talk about it and there is a stigma relating to people who have it,” she said.
“People shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it, and they need to know what to do if someone has a seizure. Liliana could have died with her last seizure if the school didn’t act the way they did, so it’s important to get the word out there.”
The fundraiser lunch is on May 21, 1-5pm at the Portuguese Association of Victoria, 201 Palm Springs Road, Ravenhall.
Dress code is semi-formal, with guests asked to wear a splash of purple to support the cause.
Ticket are $60 for adults and children 5-12 years old, $20. RSVP to Julia 0408 517 627 or Monia 0458 772 220.
