Katherine Ziegler was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was in the 6th grade. As an avid performer, Katherine was faced with challenges from her epilepsy diagnosis that made her time on the stage much different. The fear of her new diagnosis prevented her from living an active life. After trial and error with medication to control her epilepsy, Katherine found ways to continue her life around her epilepsy. She stated that “being able to persevere despite my seizures gave me hope that I would be able to continue doing the things I loved most, despite my epilepsy.”
Katherine is now back to acting, dancing, and singing on stage. Katherine will showcase her talent this month at the Valley Cats game on August 29th, where she will sing the national anthem prior to the first pitch.
Katherine is currently a college student at Hudson Valley Community College where she is a math major. Her hard work and dedication to her education have earned her the title of 2023 recipient of the Barbara Quackenbush scholarship from the Epilepsy Foundation of Northeastern New York (EFNENY).
Katherine regularly supports events hosted by EFNENY including the Walk to END EPILEPSY and hopes to continue to raise awareness. She chooses to be very open about her epilepsy and educates those around her. She speaks of how often she finds people who do not have knowledge about epilepsy and its impact. Katherine hopes to continue advocating for and openly educating about epilepsy. Katherine plans to join Big Buddies this year as a mentor for Kid’s Crew members, as well as to connect with other individuals her age with epilepsy.
What Katherine Wishes Others to Know About Epilepsy: “Most people don’t realize how much seizures can impact the daily lives of people with epilepsy, not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. However, we learn to persevere and adapt to the challenges we might face daily that others wouldn’t understand. Having epilepsy allows you to appreciate the little things in life more and activities others may take for granted can be victories for those with seizures.”