Author Archives: DHamel

Sponsor of scholarship for students with epilepsy reflects on award’s importance

April 16, 2015

By Deron Hamel
Lawton Osler has seen some pretty amazing results since the OBCL Epilepsy Scholarship Awards began in 2006.

In an interview with Voices of Epilepsy, Osler, whose company, Osler Business Consulting Ltd., sponsors the scholarship, notes that some recipients have made a mark with their academic pursuits. For instance, Dr. Melanie Jeffrey is now an epilepsy researcher and Epilepsy Ontario board member.

OBCL president Lawton Osler (left) is seen here presenting an OBCL scholarship to Duncan Green in 2014.

But perhaps what is most notable, Osler says, is what happens every June when OBCL scholarship recipients gather at a ceremony to receive their certificates and $1,000 cheques.

It’s here he sees first-hand the difference the scholarships make in the lives of young people living with epilepsy.

“The (ceremonies) that we have in June are the highlight of the year; these people get together and I’ve seen the students, their parents, grandparents, and boyfriends and girlfriends get together, and it’s just amazing,” he says.

“By the time the evening is over, I’ve seen these students talking to each other and exchanging e-mail addresses.”

OBCL Epilepsy Scholarships are awarded each year to exceptional students who have confronted and overcome remarkable barriers in their academic and personal lives due to their epilepsy.

To be eligible for an OBCL scholarship, students must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents who have been accepted into a post-secondary educational program and entering their first year. They must also be under an Ontario physician’s care for epilepsy.

Applicants must also provide a 600- to 900-word handwritten essay focused on how epilepsy has shaped their lives and what they have done to overcome barriers and challenges related to their condition.

Osler is understandably proud his company sponsors the scholarships. Many students living with epilepsy face significant challenges stemming from their condition, coupled with the financial challenges many students face when having to pay for their education.

Receiving one of the six $1,000 scholarships can alleviate some of the financial burden that comes with pursuing post-secondary education, Osler notes.

The history of the OBCL scholarships goes back to the early 2000s, when two pharmaceutical companies – first Pfizer, then Lundbeck Canada – offered the scholarships.

Osler, a past Epilepsy Ontario president, was involved with the committee that judged the essays during this time. When Lundbeck stopped sponsoring the scholarship nine years ago, Osler saw a chance to help young Ontarians living with epilepsy finance their post-secondary education.

He’s never looked back on this decision.

“(Helping) these six people go to university is probably the most important thing I’ve got going, next to my family,” Osler says.

Six $1,000 scholarships are once again being awarded to students with epilepsy aged 16 to 29. The scholarships will be presented at a ceremony in June.

The deadline for application is May 1 at 5 p.m.

Click here for more information on the OBCL Epilepsy Scholarship Awards.

If you have feedback on this story, or have a story of your own that you would like to share, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.com. You can also leave a comment below.

Epilepsy guidelines should enhance care, empower patients: neurologist

April 9, 2015

By Deron Hamel

Dr. Carter Snead says the best possible long-term result from new provincial epilepsy-care guidelines would be for primary-care physicians, neurologists and patients to use the standards to enhance care of Ontarians with seizure disorders.

The Provincial Guidelines for the Management of Epilepsy in Adults and Children creates a framework for general practitioners to know at what point a patient experiencing symptoms related to epilepsy needs to be referred to a neurologist. The guidelines also help ensure appropriate medications are prescribed at appropriate times.

Adding to this, Snead, a neurologist at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), says the guidelines, which took effect in January, can also be used as a tool for people with epilepsy and their families to consult if they believe they’re not receiving the care they require.

Snead says the first step to success is for physicians – and patients – to understand their importance.

“The guidelines are nothing but words on paper unless we can operationalize them by getting the medical community in the province who cares for these patients to buy into them,” he tells Voices of Epilepsy.

“The other important issue here is that patients have access (to the guidelines) and they should utilize that access and ask their doctors about (the guidelines) if they think they’re not being treated appropriately. The guidelines should be used by the patients to empower their care.”

Prior to their creation there were no clinical guidelines for epilepsy management in Ontario. Until now, Ontario neurologists had followed guidelines established by the American Academy of Neurology. As a result, the consistency of epilepsy care has varied in the province.

Snead says he’s hopeful the guidelines will result in defined processes that will eliminate the grey areas that create inconsistencies, ensuring that people with epilepsy get timely access to the treatment they need.

“If (a physician) sees a patient with epilepsy, instantly they think, ‘Well, I can try to treat this patient, but I have these guidelines, so if I run into trouble I can refer this person to a district epilepsy centre,’ (where they can see a specialist),” Snead explains.

This is Part 2 of a two-part story. Click here to read Part 1.

Click here for information on the Provincial Guidelines for the Management of Epilepsy in Adults and Children.

Click here for information on the Provincial Strategy for Epilepsy Care.

New clinical guidelines expected to help patients get the right care for epilepsy

April 2, 2015

By Deron Hamel

A prominent Toronto neurologist says the recent establishment of the Provincial Guidelines for the Management of Epilepsy in Adults and Children is an important step forward in creating consistent epilepsy care in Ontario.

Dr. Carter Snead, a neurologist at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), says the greatest overall changes he hopes come from the guidelines, which took effect in January, are improved patient flow between primary-care physicians and specialists as well as more efficient prescription of medications.

In short, the guidelines create a framework for general practitioners to know at what point a patient experiencing symptoms related to epilepsy needs to be referred to a neurologist, Snead says. The guidelines, he adds, also help ensure appropriate medications are prescribed at appropriate times.

A critical component of the guidelines is that they outline specifically when it is appropriate to refer patients for further evaluation – if they’re not, for example, responding well to medication. The new guidelines provide the information for physicians to know when to refer patients for other treatment options.

“I’ve met people in Ontario who were finally referred to an epileptologist after years, or even decades, of struggling to cope with uncontrolled seizures,” says Epilepsy Ontario information specialist Suzanne Nurse.

“Some people were offered a new drug treatment or another therapy to control their seizures, which in some cases has resulted in seizure freedom. These guidelines, which are available on the Epilepsy Ontario website, will help people with epilepsy across the province to access the right care.”

The new guidelines are the result of the Epilepsy Implementation Information Task Force, which was established by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in June 2013.

The purpose of creating the guidelines was to improve access to epilepsy care across the continuum by co-ordinating resources and wait lists for epilepsy surgery across Ontario, and to establish standardized diagnostic and surgical protocols and develop supports for primary care providers of patients with epilepsy.

Snead says the task force and organized effort by the province to enhance care and access to epilepsy specialists for people with seizure disorders stands out – and it’s getting noticed.

“(This) is really unique to my experience anywhere in North America, in terms of a government initiated effort,” Snead says. “And this is now starting to have a ripple effect throughout Canada, because I am now getting calls from all over the country from advocates and neurologists about how they can establish the same kind of advocacy in their province that we have been successful at doing here.”

Click here for information on the Provincial Guidelines for the Management of Epilepsy in Adults and Children.

Click here for information on the Provincial Strategy for Epilepsy Care.

This is Part 1 of a two-part story. Part 2 will focus on long-term results and the importance of patient and physician advocacy of these new guidelines.

Schools, organizations, large and small, encouraged to show support on Purple Day

March 24, 2015

By Deron Hamel

Scotiabank branches in 116 Ontario communities will be raising awareness of epilepsy on Purple Day on March 26. The financial institute is the largest organization in the province to jump on board in support of the epilepsy community’s most celebrated awareness event.

This marks the first year Scotiabank has hosted Purple Day events at its branches, and it’s a move welcomed by Epilepsy Ontario, says the agency’s project manager Nikki Porter.

Throughout this week, participating Scotiabank branches have “community tables” where bank customers can make donations and pick up purple epilepsy awareness ribbons.

“Having a partner of this size allows us to raise awareness on a much larger scale,” Porter tells Voices of Epilepsy. “With tables set up at more than 200 Scotiabank branches, it is a wonderful show of support for people living with epilepsy.”

Scotiabank is not alone in showing support for those living with epilepsy. Many other businesses, organizations and schools across Ontario and Canada will host events and activities in recognition of Purple Day. For instance, employees and students may be encouraged to wear purple – the international colour of epilepsy awareness – and to initiate fundraisers.

Porter says the most important aspect of these events is the fact that they raise awareness of epilepsy, a condition affecting one in every 100 Canadians. Raising awareness of epilepsy and its prevalence helps break down preconceived notions about the condition and fosters inclusiveness in schools and workplaces, Porter says.

For the past few years, Deanna Sinasac has been a staunch advocate for epilepsy awareness. Every Purple Day, she organizes events at Amherstburg Public School in Amherstburg, Ont., where her daughter, Alexis, is a student.

Sinasac has baked purple cupcakes and raised money for the Epilepsy Support Centre. She also organizes school assemblies where Epilepsy Support Centre representatives speak with staff and students about seizure disorders. Many students and staff members also dress in purple clothing Purple Day.

“By having Purple Day at the school, it gets the whole school involved,” Sinasac says. “Hopefully, they can take what they learn out of the school and educate their parents and others.”

Porter, who has largely been involved with raising epilepsy awareness at the community level in the past, says the efforts people like Sinasac put into Purple Day have a significant impact.

“Students and employees with epilepsy get a sense of belonging and support when they see their (fellow students) and employers supporting them,” she says.

Purple Day was started in 2008 by Cassidy Megan, a then-nine-year-old Nova Scotia girl, who is living with epilepsy. Purple Day events are now held worldwide.