Teagan Ketchum has always had a love for hockey. Yet, being a dedicated D1 athlete in college, and now the General Manager of The Hockey Hut, a local ice hockey club in Saratoga County, did not come without its challenges. Throughout her life Ketchum was faced with a challenge: balance being a top-notch athlete while also getting good getting good grades while all the while trying to manage her health. You see, Teagan was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 6, now as a 28-year-old, Teagan has gone 8 years seizure-free.

Through excellent management skills and a ton of perseverance and dedication, over the years Tegan has been able to pursue her dream of hockey and now has the opportunity to train younger generations. She hopes to continue teaching hockey and her goals include coaching a girl’s Hockey team of her own in the future. Teagan has hit many impressive milestones throughout her time playing hockey including being inducted into the Albany Academies Athletic Hall of Fame.

Teagan has used her experience with epilepsy to advocate for awareness. She has lobbied at both the state and national levels. During her time enrolled at the local Albany Academy, Teagan created an awareness program for the school’s nurses and teachers to know what to do when an individual has a seizure.

In addition to Teagan’s advocacy efforts, Teagan regularly supports events hosted by EFNENY including the Walk to END EPILEPSY, and hopes to continue to raise awareness.

What Teagan Wishes Others to Know About Epilepsy: “Epilepsy can be managed and is a hidden disability, so it is hard to know when someone has it but, that does not mean it is easy to deal with. There are a lot of things people with epilepsy must do to manage their condition and it is difficult and can be very scary. I think it shouldn’t be overlooked because you can’t see it on the surface.”