Special to the
Opelika Observer
A new specialty license plate is now available to residents of Alabama who want to show their support of children with pediatric epilepsy.
In a collaboration between the Pediatric Epilepsy Program at Children’s of Alabama and Epilepsy Foundation Alabama, the “Help End Epilepsy” tag will provide valuable funding for patient care, education, research and specialized physician training for the Pediatric Epilepsy Program at Children’s of Alabama.
“We are extremely excited to begin our specialty car tag program,” said Monisha Goyal, M.D., director of the Pediatric Epilepsy Program at Children’s of Alabama. “The funding we will receive from supporters purchasing tags will help us continue providing the best care possible to our patients, establish educational programs and continue advocating for children with epilepsy in our state.”
For the state of Alabama to produce the specialty tag, a minimum requirement of 1,000 commitments must be met. Thanks to a contribution from a generous donor to Children’s, the first 1,000 supporters to request the Help End Epilepsy specialty tag will receive the tag free of additional charge for the first year. Supporters will still be responsible for their regular motor vehicle registration taxes and fees.
After the first 1,000 commitments are met, supporters may purchase the Help End Epilepsy tag for $50 at any Alabama Department of Motor Vehicles office. Of that amount, $41.25 will go to the Pediatric Epilepsy Program at Children’s. The program currently provides care for more than 5,000 children in Alabama, using the latest technologies and state of the art facilities to diagnose and treat seizures.
“We are excited that Children’s of Alabama joined our fight to end epilepsy by supporting our nationwide platform to create awareness about epilepsy and seizures through these specialty car tags,” said Sara Franklin, executive director of the Epilepsy Foundation Alabama. “The phrase ‘END EPILEPSY’ is a trademark of our organization, and our goal is to use this effort to ensure children with epilepsy get the specialty care they need to ultimately end this disorder.”
Epilepsy, the most common serious brain disorder worldwide, is the underlying tendency of the brain to produce seizures which are sudden abnormal bursts of electrical energy that disrupt brain functions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 54,000 people in Alabama are living with epilepsy and seizures, including more than 7,500 children. Over a lifetime, one in 10 people will have a seizure, and one in 26 will be diagnosed with epilepsy.
To commit to purchasing a Help End Epilepsy specialty car tag, visit childrensal.org/epilepsy or contact helpendepilepsy@childrensal.org for more information.