We were delighted to recently see our incredible volunteer, Rebecca Reid become an honorary member of An Garda Síochána!
Longford teenager Rebecca was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 5 and lives with a severe form of epilepsy called Lennox Gastaut Syndrome and experiences seizures on an almost daily basis.
Despite the impact of the condition on her life, she has an incredible outlook and uses her experiences to educate others about epilepsy. Alongside her biggest supporter – her little sister Emma – Rebecca has recorded messages promoting the key words of TIME, SAFE, STAY and led on incredible fundraisers in support of Epilepsy Ireland, involving her entire local community. As we write this article, “Rebecca's Road Runners” have also signed up to our September Walking challenge – you can see their fundraising page by visiting the ‘Fundraising’ website.
Rebecca and Emma are also regular attendees of our Teen Time and Siblings Group – which are key components of our Young Epilepsy Programme. You can learn more about these by visiting the ‘Young Epilepsy Programme’ page on our website.
Rebecca’s continued efforts – and those of her family – saw them named as our volunteers of the year at our 2025 National Conference and we are delighted to see Rebecca add the accolade of honorary Guard to her growing list of achievements!
Rebecca was named as an Honorary Guard at a special event at Templemore last month. In total, 20 children with a range of long-term health conditions and disabilities were named as honorary members of An Garda Síochána - a wonderful initiative led by our colleagues in Little Blue Heroes.
We would like to say a special congratulations and well done to Rebecca. We are delighted for you!
As always, if you need any support or information about epilepsy, please do not hesitate to contact your local Community Resource Officer. You can find their details by visiting the ‘Our Local Services’ section of our website.
Further Information
- To learn more about TIME, SAFE, STAY visit the ‘Seizure First Aid’ page on our website.
- Further information on the September Walking Challenge can be found by visiting the ‘Fundraising’ section of our website
- To learn more about Lennox Gastaut Syndrome, visit the ‘Epilepsy Syndromes and other conditions’ section of our website