Lorain County proclaims Oct. 15 as SUDEP awareness day; North Olmsted official urges more clinician communication

The Lorain County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 7 issued a proclamation recognizing Oct. 15 as Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) awareness day in Lorain County and urged public education and research to reduce SUDEP risk.

The proclamation noted epilepsy is characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures and cited national figures for prevalence. It described SUDEP as a rare but devastating outcome and said the awareness day encourages people with epilepsy to learn about SUDEP and individual risk, to motivate research, and to honor lives lost.

Lou Brossard, president of North Olmsted City Council and a member of the Cleveland-area Epilepsy Association board, addressed the commissioners and described a personal experience: his daughter Brenna died of SUDEP on Jan. 30, 2022. Brossard told the commissioners that despite at least 50 specialist visits over many years, his family was not informed about SUDEP until after Brenna’s funeral when they met with the Epilepsy Association. "For some strange reason, it's a taboo subject with neurologists and epileptologists who treat epilepsy patients," Brossard said, and he urged clinicians to discuss SUDEP and available seizure-detection and alert devices with patients.

Brossard described seizure-detection watches and alert devices as potentially lifesaving for people who live with seizures and urged outreach so other families do not learn about SUDEP only after a death. Commissioners thanked Brossard for his advocacy and presented the proclamation.

Ending: The proclamation asks residents, health-care providers and community groups to increase conversations, education and research on SUDEP; commissioners said the county will use the awareness day to encourage information-sharing and resources for patients and families.