What began as one mother’s determination to protect and empower her son has grown into a movement helping young adults everywhere feel seen, understood, and less alone 

 

Dear YAWE Community,

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Recently, our Executive Director and Founder, Wendy Steel, shared a deeply personal reflection about her son’s epilepsy journey and the stigma surrounding seizures. Her words captured not only a family’s experience, but the very heart of why Young Adults with Epilepsy exists. (Link)

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For generations, epilepsy has too often carried misunderstanding, silence, embarrassment, fear, and isolation. Yet one of the most powerful truths emerging today is that stigma begins to dissolve “when understanding replaces fear” and when individuals feel safe enough to be fully themselves.

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What Wendy helped build through love for her son has now grown into something extraordinary.

In just a few short years, Young Adults with Epilepsy has evolved into a vibrant and expanding community grounded in peer support, education, advocacy, resilience, and human connection. Through weekly peer support groups, educational workshops, advocacy efforts, community outreach, wellness initiatives, storytelling, and partnerships, YAWE continues to create spaces where young adults living with epilepsy can connect authentically and realize they are not alone.

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Most importantly, YAWE has created something many young adults with epilepsy have never experienced before: a place where they feel understood.

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That matters.

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When someone no longer feels ashamed to disclose epilepsy…

When a young adult attends a support group and realizes others truly understand…

When families move from fear toward empowerment…

Lives change.

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As President, I could not be more proud of what this organization is becoming.

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As with my patients living with epilepsy, I remain continually inspired by the intelligence, creativity, compassion, and resilience of the volunteers, facilitators, and leadership within YAWE. One of the greatest joys of serving this organization has been watching young adults begin to realize just how bright, insightful, creative, compassionate, and gifted they truly are. Beneath the weight of stigma, fear, or isolation often lies extraordinary potential simply waiting to be recognized, encouraged, and given space to emerge.

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Looking ahead, our mission remains clear: to foster resilience, independence, education, advocacy, inclusion, and hope for young adults living with epilepsy. We aim not only to support individuals living with seizures, but also to help reshape the broader public conversation surrounding epilepsy, mental health, identity, and belonging.

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The future of YAWE is bright because it is being built by people willing to speak openly, support one another, and transform adversity into courage, community, and purpose.

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To Wendy, our volunteers, facilitators, supporters, clinicians, advocates, families, and especially the young adults courageously sharing their stories: thank you.

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You are changing the conversation.

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With gratitude and hope,

Maris Stella B. Legarda, MD
President, Young Adults with Epilepsy

 

As a physician, I can only speak for myself, but there is something profoundly moving about watching a young adult emerge from fear, shame, grief, or stigma into authentic self-belief. Once they no longer feel alone, they communicate differently, trust differently, and participate more fully in their own care. In many ways, healing begins there. Communication deepens, trust grows, danger signals become easier to detect, medical guidance is better received, and the physician-patient relationship begins to truly thrive.