The first indications that Julie and Erwin Iida had that something was amiss with their eldest son, Ethan, were as subtle as they were mysterious.

An avid AYSO soccer player, Ethan, then 7, would sometimes stop in his tracks during practice or a game, his arms and hands clenched tightly. Sometimes, if he was able, he would walk sideways off the field, an expression of fright and bewilderment across his face.

Similar, inexplicable episodes also occurred at home in the evening.

The initial concern was that Ethan was suffering some sort of cardiac event. But after several back-and-forth trips from the family’s home in Hilo to Kapiolani Medical Center for Women &Children in Honolulu, it was confirmed that Ethan was suffering seizures on the right parietal lobe, one of the four lobes of the cerebral cortex of the brain.

Ethan’s condition falls under the more general diagnosis of epilepsy, a neurological disorder characterized by disturbances in the electrical activity of the brain. Epilepsy affects approximately 2.2 million Americans and about 15,000 Hawaii residents.

Like many epilepsy cases, Ethan’s condition has no identifiable cause. Its treatment is equally uncertain.

Ethan has undergone numerous drug regimens to try to control his seizures. During one such cycle, he suffered a serious adverse reaction to an anticonvulsant drug that resulted in him being hospitalized for eight days.

Ethan, soon to be 9, enjoys swimming and electronics and most other things boys his age enjoy.

“He’s very bright and talkative,” Julie says, laughing. “He’s tell you his whole life story in five minutes. He’s just a joy.”

But Ethan has also grown more fearful since his diagnosis. He worries what will happen if he suffers a seizure in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Despite the daily challenges of coping with Ethan’s condition, the family has found much-needed support from the Epilepsy Foundation of Hawai‘i, a nonprofit organization that serves people with epilepsy and their families.

Through the organization, the Iidas met other families affected by the condition and found a renewed sense of purpose in helping others learn about epilepsy.

EFH representatives visited Ethan’s school to share information about epilepsy at a schoolwide assembly and helped to train faculty and staff about seizure response and assistance. Erwin Iida, a Hilo firefighter, also enlisted his co-workers to provide training in first aid and CPR.

“I feel it’s so important to help others understand what epilepsy is and to encourage them to be sensitive to anyone who has a medical condition,” Julie says. “It’s also important to teach people how to support the families of people who have epilepsy. It doesn’t have to be an isolating experience.”

On Sunday the Iidas will be lending their support to the 2016 Sharon’s Ride.Run.Walk, an EFH fundraiser. The event features 100K, 75K and 35K bike rides; a keiki bike safety course; 10K and 5K runs; and a 1-mile walk. Registration is available online at active.com.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@staradvertiser.com.