2nd Loop the Loop for Epilepsy held in Wrightsville Beach

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — According to the Center for Disease Control, North Carolina has the 9th highest number of epilepsy cases, with more than 100,000.

To help raise awareness, the 2nd annual Loop the Loop for Epilepsy was held on Sunday, October 15th.

More than 200 people walked the nearly 2.5 mile Wrightsville Beach Loop.

The event was created by Isabella Cox, who was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 9 years old during a family vacation. It has been 5 years since she had her last seizure.

Cox said she created the event to help other people who have epilepsy connect and know they aren’t alone.

“When I was diagnosed with epilepsy, there wasn’t a real community in Wilmington and even now we still don’t have a support group,” Cox said. “I really wanted to create a community of people who also had epilepsy and we could reach out and know each other and kind of find friends who suffered from the same thing that my family and I went through when I was diagnosed.”

Cox said the event hit this year’s goal of $50,000 and it has now raised nearly $100,000 in its first two years. Cox is excited to continue doing the event in her hometown even as she prepares to head off to college next fall.