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Senator Judah honors family who lost son to SUDEP, urges more research and awareness
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Summary
Senator Judah used a moment of personal privilege to mark Epilepsy Awareness Day, told the story of the Abeyta family's loss to SUDEP and called for research, education and continued support for "Lincoln's Law."
Senator Judah spoke during a personal-privilege moment to mark Epilepsy Awareness Day, told the Senate the story of Lincoln Abeyta and urged more research, education and outreach on sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). "Members, today is purple day or epilepsy awareness day, and I, like 60000 people in Colorado, live with epilepsy," Judah said, and introduced Brian and Tracy Abeyta, who lost their 10-year-old son, Lincoln, to SUDEP on 08/09/2024.
The senator recounted the family's experience—Lincoln's monitoring system would alert after 15 seconds of movement, but his fatal seizure lasted roughly 10 seconds, leaving family members without notice. Judah praised the recent passage of "Lincoln's Law" and said the measure's purpose is to increase awareness and support for families affected by SUDEP. "If Lincoln's law prevents even 1 family from waking up to the morning they did, then Lincoln's law and Lincoln's life will continue to make a difference," Judah said.
Guest advocates included representatives from the Epilepsy Foundation and others the senator invited to the chamber. Judah framed the remarks as both tribute and policy prompt: she said families deserve better information, more research and resources to reduce the risk and to understand causes and prevention of SUDEP.
The recognition concluded with the Senate's acknowledgement of the guests and a general call for greater public-health attention to epilepsy and SUDEP; no bill vote occurred as part of the remarks.
