[photo credit: Epilepsy Foundation Los Angeles]
The Epilepsy Foundation Los Angeles, which rescheduled the walk from March 2025, expects nearly 4,000 participants for the event, according to the organization. Proceeds fund the foundation’s programs for more than 160,000 people affected by epilepsy in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura counties — including support groups, specialist referrals, education and summer camps, according to the foundation.
The walk features a non-competitive 5K run/walk and a 1-mile stroll around the Rose Bowl grounds, along with what organizers describe as a festival-style experience: live entertainment, DJs, a Pop-up Village for children, epilepsy information booths, a Wishing Wall interactive art piece, a marketplace, food truck vendors and an awards presentation, according to EFLA. Attendees will also be able to meet epileptologists from Level 4 Epilepsy Centers.
Love Island USA Season 6 star Leah Kateb and epilepsy advocate Audrey Kaller will co-host the event, according to the foundation. Kaller, who serves as co-chair of the walk, has helped raise more than $750,000 for the cause, the foundation said in a press release.
Kaller, who lives with epilepsy, has spoken publicly about her diagnosis. “For a while, I thought epilepsy was just a part of my childhood, but it stayed with me as I grew up,” Kaller said in a 2024 foundation statement. “When I looked around for role models and found none, I decided to become one myself.”
Epilepsy affects an estimated 3.4 million people in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One in 26 Americans will develop the condition in their lifetime, according to the foundation. Despite being the fourth most common neurological disorder nationally, the condition remains significantly underfunded compared with other neurological conditions, the foundation said.
The Epilepsy Foundation Los Angeles, established in 1957, is the only nonprofit in the region dedicated solely to serving people with epilepsy, according to the organization. Its programs include a toll-free helpline, summer camps, support groups, seizure first-aid training, specialist referrals and legislative advocacy.
The foundation said the original March 2025 date was postponed out of respect for the community following the devastating January 2025 fires. Organizers had hoped to reschedule for fall 2025, but venue availability was limited because other events had also been displaced by the fires, the foundation said.
The walk runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Rose Bowl, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive Registration is $25 per person ages 2 and older. Online registration at EpilepsyWalkLA.org closes at noon Friday, March 13. Onsite registration begins at 8:00 a.m. Saturday. For information, contact help@epilepsylosangeles.org or call 310-670-2870.
The nationwide epilepsy walk series began in Los Angeles and has since expanded to cities across the country, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. In 2022, nearly 1,000 people attended the walk at the Rose Bowl and raised nearly $300,000, the foundation reported.
“I share my story so the next 13-year-old facing this same diagnosis knows they’re not alone,” Kaller said on the foundation’s website.
