Remembering a Brother Lost to SUDEP and Finding Hope in Community

This week on Seizing Life® we welcome Hannah Whitten to the podcast. Hannah’s older brother Dylan lived with epilepsy nearly his entire life, until he passed away from SUDEP at the age of 25. Though she was 5 years younger, Hannah was a constant companion to Dylan as they grew up and was often his main caregiver. She tells us about her brother’s attitude and determination not to let epilepsy define or limit his life, attending and graduating from college, working, and eventually living on his own. Hannah also talks about her experiences having a sibling with epilepsy and the impact that epilepsy has had on their family.

Hannah recounts Dylan’s treatment journey and shares the heartbreak of losing her brother to SUDEP at a time when he was thriving and seemed to have found some measure of seizure control. Hannah also explains how her brother’s experience, attitude, and determination inspired her to get involved in the epilepsy community through several non-profit organizations including joining CURE Epilepsy’s Board of Directors. Hannah shares her hopes for the future of epilepsy research and discusses the importance of community and the need to remove the stigma around epilepsy.

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