Mic Check, 1-2, 1-2: Clayton Feig Youth Awardee Alec Gluckman Talks Epilepsy Awareness with the Florida Panthers

Epilepsy Alliance Florida client Alec Gluckman, an eleventh grader at South Florida’s Wellington High School, experienced his first seizure this past October. A sports enthusiast with hopes to one day be a sports broadcaster, Alec was watching his favorite sports team, the Florida Panthers, when the seizure hit. Since that day, he has had a brain MRI and an EEG – tests that confirmed juvenile epilepsy. Despite the many challenges he has faced, including several breakthrough seizures and a reaction to his medication, Alec has remained a brave fighter and ardent advocate.

Alec recently had the opportunity to meet with broadcasting veteran Randy Moller, the Florida Panther’s vice president of broadcasting, via Zoom to share his epilepsy story – and its unique tie to the Panthers – as well as discuss his future aspirations to be in sports broadcasting. As a former NHL player and a 27-year member of the Panthers broadcasting team, Mr. Moller shared valuable insights from his career with Alec and assured him that epilepsy will be no match for his sports broadcasting passion. Alec will be Mr. Moller’s guest at an upcoming Panthers home game this season and looks forward to continuing to raise much needed epilepsy awareness in the community.

Today, Alec is more than one month seizure-free, and he is learning to live his new normal. He sits on Epilepsy Alliance Florida’s Youth Advisory Council and strives to serve as an inspiration to others facing the disorder. Alec will be honored with Epilepsy Alliance Florida’s Clayton Feig Youth Award, an award commemorating youth who battle seizures and that highlights the important work of those dedicated to removing the stigma associated with epilepsy, at this Saturday’s West Palm Beach Walk the Talk for Epilepsy event.

In Alec’s own words, “I will fight this [epilepsy] like a champ and win. I may have epilepsy, but it doesn’t have me.”