Pupil creates initiative to aid other children with epilepsy

Jamie Bacigalupo has spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital.

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The 7-year-old Evans Elementary School pupil was diagnosed with benign rolandic epilepsy in June 2008 and pediatric migraines in January.

During her hospital stays, groups delivered items to children who were patients, including Jamie, and it helped to make their stay much easier, said her mother, Judy Bacigalupo.

The family wanted to pass on the kindness to others, she said.

Jamie and her mother started Angels4Epilepsy to help ease the stays of other hospitalized children with epilepsy.

Since February, Jamie has been saving her allowance to help buy items for children at the Medical College of Georgia Children's Medical Center.

In school, when she had the chance to pick items from the class treasure chest, she would choose things for the bags instead of something for herself.

Her mother also contacted others for donations and received a variety of items to go in the bags.

After months of saving, collecting and receiving donations, the family made their first delivery Sunday to the Children's Medical Center, one of the hospitals where Jamie has stayed. They delivered about 25 bags.

The delivery is just the start of the family's mission, Bacigalupo said.

While they will continue to donate bags to hospitalized children with epilepsy -- which they plan to do about twice a year -- they also want to educate others about the disease.

"I really want to raise awareness because a lot of people don't really know what epilepsy is," she said. "A lot of people, when you say epilepsy, they only think of someone on the floor convulsing, but that's not always the case.

"Like in Jamie's case, she has benign rolandic epilepsy. She can drool. She can stare. It's different for different kids, and I want to make people more aware about the kinds of epilepsy that are out there and how they affect kids."

She also hopes to reach beyond the Augusta area.

"I would like for it to go nationally," she said. "I would like it to be something where other kids get involved who may have epilepsy and want to do something to help other children."

For information about Angels4Epilepsy or to donate, visit angels4epilepsy.blog spot.com.