Former NFL player discusses his journey with epilepsy, explains why Texas teachers should be prepared
Central Texas teachers are taking a lesson in a subject that could save lives in the classroom.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Central Texas teachers are taking a lesson in a subject that could save lives in the classroom.
It's called Sam's Law, and it means Texas teachers and staff are required to take a training course on epilepsy and how to respond if a student has a seizure in school.
“That's a great idea,” said former NFL player and Hall of Fame inductee Alan Faneca. “It's a community effort. People need to know if something happens with you when you have a seizure.”
Faneca said his journey with epilepsy started as a teenager when he had his first seizure.
"When I was 15 years old. It was Christmas Eve. I was at my great-grandmother's house, and it was in the middle of the night. It really felt like a nightmare. I really didn't understand what was going on until I got to my doctors and found out that I had epilepsy.”
Years later, Faneca is part of the initiative to help people living with epilepsy set a goal to have zero seizures.
"Not everybody can get to zero, but we can always strive to keep improving and advocating for ourselves," he said.
Part of advocating means having an action plan, said Faneca.
“My daughter has epilepsy as well, so we have an action plan. She's still in school. There is an action plan for the school and the teachers and how to get involved,”
It's much like the training Texas public school teachers must take free of charge from the Epilepsy Foundation.
KXAN reached out to the foundation as well as Austin ISD officials for an update on how many teachers have taken the required training.