GREENE LIGHT FOR EPILEPSY CHARITY
World Champion Welsh Hurdler Dai Greene took a break from his Olympic training to meet and talk with 6-year-old Owain Richards from Hengoed, who has epilepsy. Greene, who has epilepsy himself, credits his determination to excel at his sport as the catalyst for changing his lifestyle and ending the seizures he was experiencing as a young 17/18 year old.
When Owain was diagnosed with epilepsy, his father, Ceri, was amazed at the lack of awareness surrounding a condition – which affects over 23,000 people in Wales – and so decided to organise a fun-walk along the Taff Trail to raise money and also the profi le of Epilepsy services.
The walk raised over £6,600 for Epilepsy Wales and Greene was only too happy to make the presentation to Lesley Morris, co- ordinator for the charity who commented, “It is with the help of high profi le people like Dai Greene, who is not embarrassed to talk about his epilepsy, that we will begin to raise the awareness of such a common condition, and to show that it is not something to be discriminated against.”
Greene is not the only top sportsman to have had epilepsy – Tom Smith, the former Scottish and British Lions prop, the South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes and the fastest woman in the world – Florence Griffi th Joyner, Flo-Jo, are amongst the headliners of the sports world to have had epilepsy but who never let it stand in the way of their ambitions.
The fi rst walk was 10th October, 2010, up much of the Taff Trail, starting in Heath Hospital , where Owain was born, and ending in Prince Charles Hospital, where he has been treated after having his seizures.
That walk was 27 miles and took almost 11 hours. 29 people took part and raised around £5,640.
This year’s walk took place on 25th September and was the second one. This time the volunteers walked the entire length of the Rhymney Valley, where Owain lives.
It started in Rhymney Bridge (Llechryd) and fi nished at Caerffi li Castle. The walk was around 22 miles long and took 8 hours. 24 people took part on the walk and will raise around £6,600.
“For both walks, I asked friends, families and work colleagues to both donate money and take part on the day,” explained Morris.
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“I have been taken aback by the response I’ve had. I’m going to make this an annual event for as long as I can. Early thoughts for next year include an idea to do a ‘three peaks’ walk, starting at the Penallta Pit Pony, then walking up Caerffi li mountain and ending in the Millennium Stadium, the latter not so much being a geographical peak and more a sporting peak!
“Owain had his fi rst seizure in November 2009, just after his 4th birthday. He was diagnosed with benign epilepsy in August 2010. He had a very bad seizure in January this year, after which he’s been put on medication to control the epilepsy. He hasn’t had a seizure since this time.
The plan is that he’ll come off the medication in around 18 months time or so.”
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