The Force Awakens and Episode IX star Greg Grunberg helped torpedo Starkiller Base and he’s also taking part in another battle, raising awareness about epilepsy. His son Jake was diagnosed years ago and Grunberg has dived into helping educate people about the condition and its effects.
Tell me a little bit about why you founded TalkAboutIt.org
Our oldest, Jake, when he was seven, he started having, what we came to learn, were seizures. We had no idea. He would stare out in space for a second and stare for five seconds. We thought he was ignoring us and we kind of reprimanded him. And then when we were at his seven-year checkup, we told the doctor, “Oh, he’s kind of staring off a little bit.” And the doctor said, “That might be seizures.” And that began our whole journey with this.
Epilepsy is a tricky one because it doesn’t present itself the way another condition might, where it’s obvious, and you want to be careful. It’s all about just normalizing and controlling the episodes, the seizures. Jake is 22 now, but back then, you just looked for anything and everything to control those seizures. So we went to talk to this doctor and then that doctor. Finally found the right doctor and the right combination of medication and therapies.
