Student Leadership Council

Casual Dress Day 

On Friday 24 March, Frankston High School held its first Casual Dress Day.

Please let me introduce myself - my name is Sian Nugent and on the 11 December 2013, I had a seizure when I was asleep.  Shortly after I was diagnosed with epilepsy.  Since that day, I have had many ups and downs that were caused by my epilepsy.

For those of you that do not know what epilepsy is, it is a neurological disorder where the nerve cell activity in the brain is disrupted causing epileptic episodes and/or seizures.  I am a part of SLC and when I went on the camp I was given the opportunity to stand up in front of everyone and talk about my condition while asking for their help so that Frankston High School could help raise money and awareness on Casual Dress Day, for the Epilepsy Foundation, of which I was successful.

Everyday a person in Australia dies because of epilepsy.  The Epilepsy Foundation uses evidence based practice to help stop these avoidable deaths, help people get and keep their jobs, ensure children get a good education and help people with epilepsy feel safe and connected within their own environment. On Wednesday 15 March, I stood up in front of the Year 7-10 assembly and the Year 11’s at iSupport to talk about my experience with epilepsy and what to do when someone has a seizure.

I would also like to share these tips below:

*If you see someone having a seizure, first make sure there is nothing in their mouth and then put something soft under their head to cushion it.

*Put them on their side and do not hold them down.

*Time the seizure, find their medical ID and call the ambulance.

*If they are wearing tight clothes, loosen them a bit.

The reason I wanted to raise money wasn’t just because of my own personal experience but because epilepsy is not a well-known medical disorder.  I believe this is the reason why there is no cure.  Helping spread awareness of epilepsy was enough for me in general but having the support from my whole school and raising $2,442.85 on the day was so overwhelming.

Thank you to everyone for their support.  I would like to thank the SLC and Sports Leadership for running activities on the day.

By Sian Nugent – Year 11