About Us

We work toward advancing public awareness, education and disclosure between medical professionals and families impacted by Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).

Knowledge is the Antidote for Fear

Founded by Chicagoans Mike and Mariann Stanton in January 2010 after the death of their four-year-old son Danny, the Danny Did Foundation works toward its mission to prevent deaths caused by seizures with these main goals in mind: advancing public awareness of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), enhancing SUDEP education and disclosure between medical professionals and families afflicted by seizures, and the mainstreaming of seizure detection and prediction devices that may assist in preventing seizure-related deaths.

Our Mission

To advance public awareness of epilepsy and the risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), to protect people with epilepsy, and to prevent deaths caused by seizures.

Our Vision

We want a reality in which healthcare providers proactively communicate about the risk of SUDEP and other forms of mortality associated with epilepsy. We need to elevate awareness of, and access to, technologies that enable early intervention and added safety.

Our Commitment

Danny Did is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in the way that we operate, and in the families and communities that we serve.

On Danny’s first day of preschool, he told his teacher “I just want to learn.” Like Danny, we also want to learn. We want to know why a worldwide medical condition is so widely misunderstood by the general public and how it has remained such a riddle to the global medical community. And because epilepsy has taken Danny from us, we will not stop questioning until we know the answer, and to this end we will engage all –from grammar school kids to internationally recognized epilepsy experts– in our effort to prevent another death caused by a seizure. The name of the foundation originates from the last line of Danny’s obituary, written by his dad:

Please go and enjoy your life. Danny did.

Epilepsy impacts more than 3.4 million people in the United States – more people than ever before, per the CDC – and 65 million people worldwide. One in 26 Americans will develop epilepsy. Seizures can sometimes be fatal from a range of causes; more people die as a result of seizures than from fires and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) combined. Thousands of U.S. deaths occur annually from SUDEP, and estimated 50,000 deaths occur worldwide each year due to SUDEP, status epilepticus (prolonged seizures), and other seizure-related causes such as drowning and other accidents.

Achieving Our Goals

We interact directly with patients and caregivers to provide resources and immediate support, often related to education or funding for seizure detection devices. We also engage providers and researchers in the field of neurology, collaborate with medical technology companies, and consult with epilepsy organizations and anyone else who is affected by Danny’s story. We ask doctors to talk about SUDEP and offer ourselves as an outlet to which doctors can steer patients. We create informational pieces about safety in epilepsy and SUDEP. We pursue the latest seizure detection and seizure prediction technologies, and if identified as viable and worthwhile instruments, work to get these products approved by the FDA and covered by insurance companies. We view these devices as complimentary to medicinal, surgical, and dietary measures that are used to treat seizures, and –with SUDEP accounting from an estimated 20 percent of seizure-related deaths– we believe that there is no such thing as too much prevention.

Help Make a Difference

Your giving support makes a huge impact for the 1 in 26 Americans who will develop epilepsy over their lifetime. Your tax deductible contribution supports our mission to protect people who face epilepsy.

Our Staff

Our staff are respected within the epilepsy community and hold a variety of leadership positions. We are proud of our team and its dedication to making the Danny Did Foundation a champion for epilepsy and SUDEP awareness, and a resource for families who are impacted by seizures.

Annual Report

As we look back at this year, what makes us most proud is that our support for families in need has extended to all 50 states and 17 countries, support that many have described as life altering. As we grow to help more people, we encourage and appreciate your partnership. We are excited for what is to come, and driven to instigate more progress.

The Danny Did Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation organized in the state of Illinois and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501©(3) tax-exempt organization. Our Tax ID number is 27-1642251. We hold a Gold Level charity rating from Guidestar.https://www.guidestar.org/