THE MILLION DOLLAR TEDDY BEAR FOR EPILEPSY ACTION AUSTRALIA

In late 2018, I was out for dinner with my son Roarke and daughter Lila. We were having a grand chat when mid-sentence Lila froze, with her arms in the air. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and then she toppled off the side of the chair. I thought she had passed away. She started convulsing uncontrollably on the ground. Then, she was out. Completely limp. Unresponsive. It was the worst moment of my life. The restaurant called an ambulance and I panicked and tried to get her to wake up. Eventually the ambulance arrived. It was horrific. She went straight to hospital. We discovered later that she had has what is called a tonic-clonic seizure. She had two more that night. Then, three more a few weeks later. Then, some more another few weeks after that. She also developed this sigh/hiccup that she would do forty or fifty times a day, whilst staring off into the distance for a short period of time. These are called absence seizures.

Lila was diagnosed with epilepsy, and it has completely changed our lives. She is a fearless little girl, but we have to pull her back from climbing trees, swimming, or water skiing, in case she has a seizure in a dangerous place. More than 250,000 Australians have epilepsy, which is pretty staggering. So, when I found out that the wonderful people at Epilepsy Action Australia had a funding shortfall because of the effect of COVID I had to do something. And that something is the Million Dollar Teddy Bear. We are hoping to sell one teddy to an amazing philanthropist with a heart of gold.

Why a teddy bear? Well, One of the many wonderful things Epilepsy Action Australia does is to send young kids with epilepsy their own Cuddly Ted-E-Bear (the E stands for epilepsy), which helps them feel the love and support they can get in a very tangible way.  Lila has one (she calls Baby Bear) and he is a cherished possession.

We made a launch video narrated by the incredible actor Nadine Garner shot at the incredible Rippon Lea Historic Mansion. And have a website at milliondollarteddybear.com. So, if you happen to know any squillionaires, send them there! :)

So many amazing people have come on board to support the cause. Pictured are comedian Tommy Little, broadcaster and journalist Melissa Doyle, Lachy the Purple Wiggle, journalist Jessica Rowe, author and Rugby Union legend Peter FitzSimons, broadcaster Russel Howcroft, actor Nadine Garner, and former Socceroo captain Paul Wade. :)