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EPILEPSY FOUNDATION TEXAS
EMU Support Squad
Support. Understanding. Connection—When It’s Needed Most.
An Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) stay can be overwhelming—for patients and for the families who love them. Long hospital days, unfamiliar equipment, tough conversations, and a lot of waiting can leave families feeling anxious and alone.
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The EMU Support Squad exists to change that.
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This Epilepsy Foundation Texas program brings trained volunteers and board members directly into hospital EMUs to offer something powerful and simple: human connection from someone who understands epilepsy firsthand.
An Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) is a specialized hospital setting where patients—children, teens, and adults—are admitted for several days so doctors can closely monitor brain activity.
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During an EMU stay:
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Patients are continuously monitored with EEG and video equipment
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Medications may be adjusted or paused
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Doctors attempt to capture seizure activity to better understand diagnosis and treatment options
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While this process is medically important, it can be emotionally and mentally exhausting for patients and families alike.
What is the EMU Support Squad?
The EMU Support Squad is an outreach program where trained Epilepsy Foundation Texas volunteers visit patients and families during their Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) stay.
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Each week, volunteers—typically visiting in teams of two—meet with patients who have chosen to participate and have approved the visit in advance. During these visits, the EMU Support Squad offers encouragement, connection, and practical support in a challenging hospital setting.
Volunteers provide patients with a comfort kit that includes Epilepsy Foundation Texas resources and small items such as games, coloring books, journals, cozy socks, lip balm, and other thoughtful touches designed to bring comfort during a long hospital stay.
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Most importantly, volunteers offer a listening ear. Patients and families are invited—but never expected—to share their experience, ask questions, or simply talk. Some volunteers, particularly those with lived experience, may also share parts of their own epilepsy journey to help patients feel seen, understood, and less alone.
This is not medical care—it is peer support, compassion, and reassurance when it’s needed most.
Where can you find the EMU Support Squad?
The EMU Support Squad is currently partnering with Baylor Scott & White-Dallas in the Dallas–Fort Worth area for adult patients, and is working to expand to a pediatric hospital.
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Our plans are to expand across DFW and the Houston area. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed!
Contact
For more information about the EMU Support Squad or to volunteer, please contact:
Stefanie Gilbert
(713) 789-6295 ext. 237