Oklahoma Family Uses Tragic Story To Raise Epilepsy Awareness

One in 26 Americans will develop epilepsy in their lifetime, and one out of 1,000 people with epilepsy will die from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy each year.

An Oklahoma family sadly became one of those statistics.

"It has been five years since I have seen my brother's face, held his hand, and heard his laugh," said Hannah Whitten, now an advocate for epilepsy awareness.

Dylan Whitten was a 25-year-old his family adored.

"My brother was bubbly lively, smart,” Hannah said. “He was fearless, and he never let epilepsy scare him.”

Now Hannah, who is 26, is carrying her brother’s legacy with her.

"I hope that telling our story helps other families, and no one else has to lose another family member the way we have," said Whitten. "We were never told in all those years about SUDEP or the risk factors or that it was possible that Dylan could die from that."

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, also known as SUDEP, refers to deaths in people with epilepsy that do not die from injury, drowning or other known causes.

While this accounts for only about 3,000 deaths in the United States each year, epilepsy is a common occurrence in Oklahoma.

"Just in Oklahoma, there are 40,000 people who suffer from epilepsy," said Whitten.  

Nearly 3.5 million people live with epilepsy nationwide, including roughly 470,000 children.

One in 20 children under five years old is diagnosed with epilepsy.

Hannah wants to advocate for those living with epilepsy to be a voice for her brother.

"The stigma about epilepsy is really challenging,” Hannah said. “Most people are scared to lose their jobs and their licensing, and we need to talk about it.”  

If you’d like to know more about Sudden Unexpected Death In Epilepsy, click here.

For a link to the “Seizing Life” podcast, click here.