TAMBORINE Mountain siblings Millie and Harry Whapham will spend October tackling a fitness challenge to raise awareness and funds for epilepsy.
Millie, who lives with epilepsy, has set herself a goal of swimming 11 kilometres over 25 days, while her brother Harry will ride 100 kilometres as part of his Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Both are taking part in Epilepsy Queensland’s Walk, Ride, Swim for Epilepsy campaign, which encourages people to “go their own way” to support those impacted by the condition.
Millie has been swimming since she was a baby, developing strong endurance in the pool.
She said her challenge was also about showing others what is possible.
“You can still do activities with epilepsy,” she said.
“People might think you can’t, but you can.”
For Harry, the event combines both fun and purpose.
“It’s like a two in one – I’m riding with my mates and enjoying it, but I’m also raising awareness for people like my sister with epilepsy,” he said.
Taking part alongside his sister has made the challenge even more important for him.
“I used to feel really worried when Millie had seizures, but now I’m proud to see her taking this on and everyone’s excited to do the challenge together,” Harry said.
Their mother Katie said the family hoped the challenge would spark broader conversations in the community and schools.
She noted that while seizures are the most visible part of epilepsy, the condition often involves fatigue, memory impacts, and other less obvious challenges.
“One of the biggest issues comes around living with epilepsy and people’s assumptions that a seizure is the whole thing – it’s actually just the tip of the iceberg,” she said.
The family has been encouraging Tamborine Mountain State High School to consider joining the national Seizure Smart Schools program, which provides resources and training for staff and students.
“Every 33 minutes someone in Australia is diagnosed with epilepsy,” he said.
“It’s not uncommon, and understanding goes a long way to making sure people feel supported.”
She said she and her husband were proud of their children’s efforts.
“I think there’s a level of maturity that gets carved out of really hard times,” she said. “We’re proud of both Millie and Harry for what they’re achieving and for helping to raise awareness.”
To donate to Millie’s challenge visit https://www.walkforepilepsy.org.au/fundraisers/milliewhapham/qld.
To donate to Harry’s challenge visit – https://www.walkforepilepsy.org.au/fundraisers/harrywhapham/qld
