Queensland facility raises money for epilepsy

Heather Haines had her head shaved for epilepsy.

Staff members and a resident from the Regis Boronia Heights facility in Queensland shaved their heads to raise money for the state’s epilepsy foundation.

Lifestyle Officer, Heather Haines, Maintenance Officer, Reg Worgan and resident, Lewis Thompson bravely volunteered to face the clippers for Purple Day.

Ms Haines is well aware of the effects of epilepsy as she has the disorder herself.

“As a sufferer of epilepsy I know we could all benefit from increased awareness, education and understanding of this disorder,” she said.

“We need to throw away misconceptions, educate people on this disorder and lift the stigma [that] is attached to a seizure; this is why I am choosing to shave my head on Purple Day.”

Other staff members supported the initiative by wearing purple clothes, colouring their hair purple and sponsoring the event.

The Regis Group’s state manager for Queensland, Steven Schultze praised Ms Haines and Mr Worgan for their efforts.

“We are all very proud of Heather and Reg for taking this step to raise awareness of a disorder that affects 2 per cent of Queenslanders,” he said.      

“There are more people with epilepsy than with muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease and several others combined.

Regis Boronia Heights supports 130 aged care residents and employs over 100 health care professionals.