What Epilepsy Foundation Sponsorship Means to Me
Matt Tifft and Live Fast Motorsports announced on Tuesday that the Epilepsy Foundation will be on the No. 78 this weekend at Martinsville.
The news is personal to Matt Tifft since his diagnosis in 2019, which forced the budding young star out of the driver's seat and eventually into an owner's role.
The sponsorship is personal to me too.
I was diagnosed with epilepsy at a young age. I have been on medication to control the seizures my whole life and have been fortunate in my adult years to remain seizure-free because of those medications, but I wasn’t always that fortunate.
Epilepsy had a strong grip on my life during my childhood. I never really knew if I was coming or going. Every time I turned around, I found myself in the hospital for several days at a time.
When I was 6, attending my uncle’s funeral, I had the worst seizure of my life. It lasted 52 minutes, and my parents say that I almost didn’t make it. I, and epilepsy, were the reason my dad did not get to attend the burial of his brother.
Ever since that day, when I am in similar situations, my relatives always make sure to keep an eye me. I remember running out once and being followed to make sure I was going to be okay. In the moment, that tends to be overwhelming, but being in stressful situations can trigger it. That has always been scary not only for me, but also for everyone around me.
As I’ve gotten older and been able to enjoy life, I realize how lucky I truly am and continue to be. I’m grateful for those around me who have always looked out for me when I couldn’t do it myself.
Knowing that the Epilepsy Foundation is a sponsor is so special to the younger me who had to fight so much during her childhood. At a time when you just want to be a kid and are supposed to be able to do all the things that other children can do, I was always looking for the moment that a seizure may or may not come. They usually did. Having the Epilepsy Foundation on the No. 78 this weekend makes me feel seen in a way.
Epileptic seizures can happen so quickly, and they never ask for forgiveness, so Live Fast Motorsports bringing attention to epilepsy on such a scale is huge.
You can find out more about Live Fast Motorsports on teamlivefast.com and the Epilepsy Foundation at epilepsy.com