As many of you know, I was diagnosed with epilepsy several years ago. Fortunately for me, medication was able to control my seizures, and my neurologist believes I’ve outgrown them (woohoo!!). This doesn’t stop me from doing everything I can for the Epilepsy Foundation, though. For the past four years, I’ve been involved with the foundation’s local Pittsburgh Chapter. Each year I form a team, collect donations, and do the race!
In typical Maya fashion, I was late in assembling a team. This meant fewer people were available, and I had less time to make shirts. In the end, it worked out that Team Maya had five members, making the shirts a lot easier! We had the number 26 placed on the back of my teammates shirts, with a number 1 on mine to signify the 1 in 26 people who will develop epilepsy in their lifetime. On the front, we ironed on a heart with our team name. As simple as these shirts were, they’re a favorite of mine! Some years I spend hours on a design, but the 15 minutes that went into these was well spent. The shirts were a big hit among the event photographers and other teams. Fingers crossed we make the Foundation’s Homepage!
My mom and her close friend (my second mom) ran the 5k together, while my boyfriend, best friend, and I did the 2 mile walk. It took us around the stadiums and down on the river. Pittsburgh is so scenic; it was great to get to see the city up close. Following the race, there’s a huge tailgate party with plenty of food! Several food trucks handed out free food, and mascots took pictures.
I’m so thankful for those that were there to support me in the race and my journey with epilepsy! We had a beautiful day in downtown Pittsburgh and enjoyed quite a bit of the free food! However, no trip to the Burgh is complete without stopping at the Milkshake Factory. We enjoyed our well deserved milk shakes in the darling shop and headed home exhausted.
While it was a busy week leading up to the race, I’m so glad I was able to give back to the Epilepsy Foundation of Pittsburgh. They’ve provided for me in so many ways. Doing the race is always a highlight of my summer!
Stay Classy,
Maya Patterson
Classy Girl in a Whirl 
Great pictures. Loved the shirts🙅🏻♀️
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