Charity group to support pediatric epilepsy patients
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Lee In-goo, left, president of the Korean Child Neurology Society and Shim Sang-don, president of the Supporters Society for Korea Parents of the Disabled Association, pose after signing a memorandum of understanding to support refractory epilepsy pediatric patints Wednesday at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital. / Courtesy of Starkey Korea
By Ko Dong-hwan
A charity group, the Supporters Society for Korea Parents of the Disabled Association (SKD), signed a deal with a medical society to help treat children with epilepsy.
Shim Sang-don, president of SKD and current CEO of a leading hearing-aid maker, Starkey Korea, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the president of the Korean Child Neurology Society (KCNS), Lee In-goo, Wednesday at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Wednesday.
The project calls for Shim to consistently support the medical costs for treating refractory epilepsy pediatric patients.
The two organizations will help up to 25 child patients each year, with priority given to those from low-income families who cannot afford medical operations.
Each patient will be covered for a maximum of 2 million won in hospital bills for vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy.
“I hope that through the MOU, more pediatric patients suffering from refractory epilepsy get better with our support, and thrive again,” said Shim.
Founded in 2007, SKD supports social welfare services provided by the Korea Parents of the Disabled Association. It’s been economically supporting the VNS therapy for refractory epilepsy pediatric patients since April 2013, helping eight in total.
VNS therapy is a unique treatment developed specifically for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. It is delivered by a device similar to a pacemaker: a thin wire sends mild electrical pulses to the left vagus nerve in the neck. The vagus nerve then sends the pulses to the brain to help control seizures.
VNS therapy is currently helping more than 100,000 patients worldwide. Aside from controlling seizures, it is also effective for treating lethargy and depressive disorder, and improving perceptive and linguistic skills.