Wolves GM leads charge against epilepsy

Matthew Young is just like any other 23-year-old.

He's quick with a carefree laugh or a quip, and he's full of ambition and hope in his chosen profession as a freelance cinematographer.

And he's not about to let anything, even epilepsy, stop him.

Young, a 2009 graduate of Prospect High School, is the son of Chicago Wolves general manager Wendell Young. On Saturday at the Allstate Arena, the Wolves will hand out commemorative Wendell Young T-shirts to the first 2,500 fans who come to their game against Iowa.

The Wolves are an organization known for taking care of their own, but they also are taking care of others as the shirt giveaway is part of Epilepsy Awareness Night.

Matthew Young was first diagnosed with epilepsy in the summer of 2013, when he suffered 40 to 50 partial-complex seizures followed by two grand mal seizures while vacationing with his family in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Because he suffered no serious health problems earlier in life, Young termed the episodes a "kick in the face."

"We were up there for a family get-together," he said. "The family reunion was on a Saturday, and we had been there the whole week, and the whole week, I had been having hot flashes, big sweating episodes. I was getting woozy, lightheaded and my vision was getting blurry. It was full-body sweats, to the point where I would have to almost towel off."

It was at lunch outdoors on the Saturday that serious trouble began. The Youngs credit the EMTs and a bystander for helping them through the immediate situation.

"We were sitting at the table, and I started getting another hot flash, but it felt different," Young said. "I looked at my brother and sister and said, 'They should leave.' I didn't know exactly what was happening. It's difficult to know my parents and my brother and sister had to see that. I went stiff. I fell back. My mom caught me, and my dad came around.

"From what I know, a man came over and said, 'My son's epileptic.' He helped my parents through it. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in an ambulance, and I was super combative because I didn't know what happened."

It was confirmed that Young had epilepsy, which he treats daily with medication called Oxtellar XR.

"They basically concluded they don't know what my trigger (for seizures) is," he said. "That isn't exactly a bad thing because in my line of work, where I'm around a lot of lights and strobe lights, and that could be a huge trigger for a lot of people, but for me it's not, so I'm lucky to be able to work in my profession."

For the most part, it's been all good for Young, even though he admits there are times when he can lose his train of thought. A minor scare came when he was working on a project while plying his trade.

"I was on a film set in Kansas last January," he said. "Lots of stress. Lots of pressure. Everyone was going down sick. One day, the sound guy got taken out, and no one really knew how to run sound besides me. So I stepped in to run sound for the morning. It got to the evening, and we were behind. We had to get the shots. My brain started going haywire. I told my director, 'I need to sit down.' I did have a seizure, but not a grand mal. I had a partial-complex."

Matthew's parents, Wendell and Paula, are facing the situation head on, as any good parents would. Wendell, a former tough-as-nails goaltender, also expressed thanks to the Wolves organization and to Heidenhain (a company with its U.S. base in Schaumburg) for sponsoring the T-shirts.

"If you look at our core covenant, it's family first," Young said. "You have your own family, and there is the Wolves family. Just being around the Wolves so long, the recognition and awareness of epilepsy is something dear to us. It's something I knew existed, but I didn't know enough about it. When it hits home, you know a lot more about it and you study it."

In addition to the awareness, the Youngs want people to know those with epilepsy can manage it and lead fulfilling and productive lives.

"I just want it known that it (epilepsy) is out there," Matthew said. "I was just a normal person, like you see today. But I had 40-50 seizures in a week. They determined all the sweating episodes were simple to partial-complex seizures. I was having seizures all week. I just didn't know.

"I just want people to be aware. It's something I never really thought of. I knew a kid in high school who had epilepsy, but I really didn't think much of it. I want the awareness out there.

"I want to show that while it's a debilitating disease to some people, you can handle it. You can do things you want. I was able to climb into a basket in the rafters and film a Northwestern game, and I didn't know if I was going to be able to do that a year ago. It's awesome."

• Fans who can't attend Saturday's game but want to support the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago and Chicago Wolves Charities can buy a Young T-shirt for $20. Contact Wolves senior vice president of operations Courtney Mahoney at (847) 832-1950 or cbmahoney@chicagowolves.com to arrange a purchase.