Nearly 10 years ago, life for Doug Mance and his family came to a crossroads when two of his daughters suddenly had seizures. He found a bridge in the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona.

"It is an educator and a resource entity and has many excellent relationships with medical people and institutions such as Barrow Neurological Institute, the Mayo Clinic, Tucson Medical Center, University Medical Center and the Center for Neurosciences on River Road," he said.

Mance is president of the board of directors for the foundation, which is dedicated to ensuring that people with seizures are able to participate in all life experiences.

It is also on a mission to prevent, control and cure epilepsy through services, education, advocacy and research.

Epilepsy - also called a seizure disorder - is a condition that produces a strong, sudden surge of electricity to areas of the brain affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. A person who has two or more seizures is considered to have epilepsy.

Symptoms can range from lapses in awareness, confusion, inability to communicate and undirected or uncontrolled movements to loss of consciousness.

It is estimated that 65,000 people in Arizona have epilepsy and one in 10 people have had a seizure, according to Epilepsy Foundation Director of Development Eddie Nichols.

The ramifications of epilepsy are life-changing for patients and their families, according to Mance. His daughter Andrea, 27, suffered a seizure in 2000; Carly, 22, began having recurring seizures less than six months later "out of the blue."

"People envision the fact that those with epilepsy have seizures, but they don't think much beyond that. Imagine your own life without the ability to drive, and think how it would change," Mance said.

"The medications sometimes have side effects, and there is a stigma attached to epilepsy. People don't quite know what to do with it."

The certified financial planner hopes to combat that stigma through his efforts at the foundation, which offers youth programs such as Camp Candlelighters, a camp for children 8-15 with epilepsy.

Programs for adults include Seniors and Seizures; a First Responders Program to educate law enforcement about seizures; and Epilepsy Update, an annual conference featuring local and national experts.

This article also was published Sunday in the Star Contact freelance writer Loni Nannini at ninch@comcast.net