FORMER S Club Juniors star Stacey McClean has joined forces with a Yeadon-based Epilepsy charity to help publicise the condition.

Stacey, whose mum has epilepsy, is encouraging people to learn more about it, as part of National Epilepsy Week, which runs from May 15 to 21.

The national charity Epilepsy Action, which is based in Yeadon, recently published figures showing that one in five people with epilepsy feel uncomfortable talking about their condition, even with friends. Stacey is backing the charity’s Let’s Talk about Epilepsy campaign to beat the stigma, which surrounds it.

She said: "When my mum was diagnosed with epilepsy, our lives changed forever.

"She may have been seizure-free for a year now but it hasn’t been without its challenges. As a result of her epilepsy, my mum was diagnosed with depression and anxiety and has panic attacks daily.

"I admire her bravery and having to live each day with the fear of when her epilepsy will strike again. It’s been tough, but having more understanding of epilepsy has helped us all deal with this invisible illness. Everyone should educate themselves about the condition, so they know how to help safely and correctly if they ever come across someone having a seizure."

Epilepsy affects 51,000 people in Yorkshire and the Humber and 87 people in the UK are diagnosed every day – a total of 32,000 new cases each year. There are more than 40 different types of seizure.

Epilepsy Action is calling on people to learn more about epilepsy so they can help anyone who has a seizure. The charity has a wide range of online learning resources aimed at equipping teachers, health and social care practitioners and members of the public with the tools they need to look after someone with epilepsy. It also offers an online course to people with epilepsy to help them manage their symptoms better.

Epilepsy Action chief executive, Philip Lee, said: "Epilepsy is about so much more than having seizures.

"Low self-esteem, social isolation and gaining employment can be just some of the issues that people with epilepsy have to deal with. As a result, many people feel uncomfortable talking about their condition for fear of discrimination or feeling embarrassed.

"We want to change that and help people to feel able to talk more openly about their epilepsy. We can only achieve this by improving the public’s knowledge and understanding of the condition, and how it impacts on people with epilepsy and their families. By taking just a few minutes to learn about the condition, you could be helping someone with epilepsy to feel safer, more supported and less isolated. This can have a dramatic impact on their self-esteem and quality of life."

Visit epilepsy.org.uk/epilepsyweek or call the Epilepsy Action freephone helpline on 0808 8005050 for more details about National Epilepsy Week, including how to get involved and what support is available.