Running for a reason

There are countless “what ifs” in everyday life. Some are met with regret, others with a prayer of thanks. And some are life-changing, either for the better or for the worse.

For Tony Gaston and his family, the “what ifs” of his car accident in 2010 could have been much worse. When driving through his Mililani neighborhood with his young son, Gaston suffered a temporal lobe seizure. He lost awareness — but not consciousness — when losing control of his car.

The only casualties were the car, three trees and an electrical transformer box, which was dented. Gaston didn’t remember a thing.

“I was talking to the policeman, but I had no memory of it,” the 47-year-old Gaston said. “Then I snapped out of it and realized what had happened and went looking for my son.

“We were so fortunate not to be on the freeway, or hit another car or someone, to be driving at a slow speed.”

The other positive came after months of testing, which eventually found a brain tumor, one of the causes of epilepsy. Gaston was unaware that he had been having small seizures; he had experienced odd sensations but had never blacked out until his car accident.

Almost exactly two years after the incident, Gaston will compete in his second Sharon’s Ride.Walk.Run for Epilepsy.

He, 12-year-old daughter Mila and 10-year-old son Nicholas have entered the 5K race, part of the Epilepsy Foundation of Hawaii event to raise funds and awareness of the condition. Gaston, a former three-sport athlete at Mililani High, said he first learned of the event from epileptologist Dr. Alan Stein, the race director.

“I was still recovering, but I could do physical activity,” said Gaston, who has nine marathons on his resume. “My daughter and I did the 5K, my wife and son walked the 1-mile. Now my son is going to join us on the 5K.”

Gaston’s wife, Monya, again is doing the 1-mile walk.

“I’m not a runner,” she said, “but it’s a really nice family event.

“We knew nothing about epilepsy and, when he had some complications after surgery, I called the Epilepsy Foundation (of Hawaii). They were very helpful. Tony hasn’t had a seizure since the surgery.”

The event promotes awareness of the condition — “We don’t like to call it a disease,” Stein said — and helps reduce the stigma that can be associated with it. The most common misconception is associated with grand mal seizures with its often-violent convulsions.

“The majority of epilepsy patients do not have that form,” he said. “Another misconception is that it is developed early in life. It can be genetic, but seizures can start in anybody at any age and be triggered by a number of things.

“As we go through life, we accrue infections, head injuries, scar tissue in the brain. Which is why we promote helmet safety to prevent the head trauma that can act as a source for epilepsy. “

New to the 10th annual Honolulu event is participation incentives to encourage team entries for the cycling portion. There also is a keiki bike safety portion.

Sharon’s Ride started as a cycling event in 1996 in St. Louis in memory of Sharon Rosenfeld, a nurse who worked with epilepsy patients who was killed during a cross-country bicycle ride in 1993. It since has added running and walking portions.

Rosenfeld’s brother- and sister-in-law, Drs. William Rosenfeld and Susan Lippman, founded Sharon’s Ride. They again will participate in the daylong festivities at Kapiolani Community College.

“Last year, it was just something for us to do,” Tony Gaston said. “But now we’ve got more friends to join us and they’re excited about it.

“More participation would be great. It benefits so many people. I was so fortunate that they were able to diagnose it so quickly.”