Carrie Morrison

Carrie Morrison: March 26th is International Epilepsy Awareness Day – join me in wearing purple to support those with epilepsy

March 2, 2021 rbudd Leave a Comment

Carrie Morrison MBA(FS) Class of 2018

My name is Carrie Morrison, I graduated from Dalhousie University with my MBA(FS) in 2018. I am passionate about raising awareness and funds to find a cure for epilepsy. In 2019 I joined the Board of Directors for Epilepsy Canada in order to amplify my efforts for the cause. It has been a very soul-fulfilling experience and I encourage everyone to advocate for something your passionate about.

For many, March 26^th is a day comes and goes without taking more than a second thought. For me, this is not the case. For me, I am reminded of loved ones I have supported, and sadly, lost to epileptic disorders.

It is in their honour that I share with you some facts about epilepsy which may surprise you, and help you understand what to do should you encounter someone having a seizure. Unfortunately, public perception and treatment of individuals afflicted with epilepsy can often be larger problems than the seizures themselves. Seeing someone have an uncontrollable seizure can be scary to witness. People with epilepsy often suffer from depression and anxiety, have strained relationships, have their license to drive taken away, and have trouble learning and so much more. The more we know about epilepsy, the more we are able to acknowledge its prevalence and the stress it inflicts upon individuals, their loved ones and caregivers, and our society as a whole. Ultimately, the more empathetic we can become, the more successful we will be in finding a cure.

Research is very expensive and these are some reasons why we need your help, did you know:

Epilepsy is one of the most common brain conditions characterized by momentary glitches in the brain’s electrical activity, which are called seizures.
Epilepsy can be a condition in and of itself or it can compound preexisting conditions, for example autism, down syndrome, tumors, stroke, or head injury.
Over 65 million people globally and over 350,000 Canadians live with epilepsy – personally affecting more people than Multiple Sclerosis + Cerebral Palsy + Muscular Dystrophy + Cystic Fibrosis, combined.
Epilepsy indirectly affects more than 1 million Canadians, including parents and 1 sibling – however, indirect impact can reach up to 30% of the population if you include employers, teachers, friends, extended family members, etc.
Doctor’s do not know what causes epilepsy and there is no cure.
1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy over the course of their lifetime.
Epilepsy causes more deaths than breast cancer, drunk driving, or prescription drugs.
There are about a dozen different types of epilepsy and three major groups of seizures which are named based on the part of the brain where they occur: Focal onset, Generalized onset and Unknown onset seizures.
Seizures can present themselves in many ways:
- Some people stare off into space,
- Some make jerky movements,
- Others lose consciousness all together.
33% of people living with epilepsy have intractable epilepsy which means their seizures cannot be controlled by medication – That’s equates to ~120,000 Canadians which live a life of complete disorder.
Women with epilepsy may have more seizures around the time of their menstrual cycles, due to hormonal shifts/levels.
Photosensitive epilepsy is triggered by small visual stimuli – in this virtual word, be mindful that flashing lights, bold and regular patterns, or repeating/regular moving patters can trigger seizures.
Frontal lobe seizures may cause an individual to smell burnt toast, the hallucination can last a few minutes.
Approximately 2.5% of people living with epilepsy will die from SUDEP (Sudden Unexplained Death from Epilepsy) – which means sadly, 9,000 Canadians will learn a new acronym this year.
People with epilepsy may use service dogs – Seizure dogs have been specially trained to respond to someone who has epilepsy.
- They can be trained to encourage the affected individual to get into a safe position before seizure onset,
- They can keep the affected safe when experiencing a seizure (laying under the head of an individual while experiencing their seizure,
- They can also be a great comfort for an individual recovering from a seizure.

Now that you know a little about epilepsy, what can you do to help people who are affected by seizures?

Stay with the person and time the seizure – remain calm,
Keep the person safe while they have the seizure by removing harmful objects,
If the person is unconscious, turn them onto their side,
DO NOT put anything in their mouths – DO put something small and soft under their heads and loosen tight clothes around the neck,
Do NOT restrain – DO allow them space and freedom to have their seizure,
Stay with them until they are awake and alert – most seizures end in a few minutes.

If a seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, the individual appears to have difficulty breathing, the person gets injured, is pregnant or sick, and if the person does not return to their usual state – call 911.

I hope you found some of this information useful, interesting, and I hope it encourages you to get involved.

You can help to find a cure, by donating to Epilepsy Canada www.epilepsy.ca/donate

Source: Epilepsy Canada – www.epilepsy.ca

“Epilepsy Canada is a registered Canadian charity dedicated to positively affecting the lives of those living with epilepsy. It’s sole mandate is to raise monies for epilepsy research with an objective of finding a cure. It demonstrates the need for research by highlighting key issues related to those whose seizures cannot be controlled through existing medication and treatments and the tragic cases of SUDEP (Sudden Unexplained Death from Epilepsy). Through its active financial support of epilepsy research, it strives to help the Canadian neurology community find a cure for epilepsy.

Epilepsy Canada is governed by a nationally representative Board of Directors, comprised of leading professionals from the neurology and business communities. Founded in 1966, the organization depends on donor and volunteer support for the continued development and delivery of its research grant programs.”

Carrie Morrison: My Journey to Find More

October 13, 2020 rbudd Leave a Comment

“I have found the ‘more’ I had been looking for. I found it with Epilepsy Canada. In hindsight, I see that my personal quest and perseverance to obtain my MBA was to honour the memory of my little girl. She was my inspiration and it is my soul-fulfilling honour to be able use my hard-earned MBA to help find a cure for epilepsy.”

Carrie Morrison MBA(FS) Class of 2018

Carrie Morrison MBA(FS) Class of 2018

At the end of my academic journey with Dal and my MBA goal achieved, many people asked, “what are you going to do with your degree?” To be honest, I always knew I wanted to do more… more than my role at the bank, which fulfills my need for professional growth, my ambition and pays my bills. The problem was I did not know what “more” looked like or how it would manifest itself or materialize.

Currently, I work as the Chief of Staff for Enterprise Systems, Security and Solutions, TD Bank. I work closely with senior leaders to run, protect and transform the bank. This means we ensure stable and secure operations through technological solutions, enablement, advancements and innovations. Sounds kind of fancy but in simplified terms, the team I work with delivers information and cyber security, enterprise technology and transformational programs and initiatives. It is a role, to be honest, which challenges me daily and provides me a new-found knowledge and insight beyond what I had imagined. And yet, even though I feel engaged professionally, I acknowledged that I was ready for something outside my career path.

I determined that it was time to search for the “more” by exploring options and opportunities. I asked myself some soul-searching questions: What could I do with my MBA? How could I leverage my education and degree for the greater good? Why had I persevered through years of school? What was it all for? I recognized that I was personally invested in school, but it was during this time of reflection and discovery that I came to find its true connection.

My MBA gave me a professional distinction which was recognized not only within my company and industry, but across the country and, in fact, world. Those three letters, MBA, are a universal acronym and symbol that tells people, ‘hey, that person knows a thing or two…’! My MBA gives me credibility – a credibility for which I am responsible to live up to and uphold, a credibility which is tangible and understandable inside and outside of a business context.

This credibility led me to consider opportunities which would have otherwise been out of immediate reach. Opportunities like: becoming an Exec at a fintech or startup, something new and exciting and almost entrepreneurial in spirit; possibly teaching, taking additional adult learning courses in order to inspire and instill knowledge in others, which I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to receive; and/or finally join a Board. Not just any board, a board which had salience for me. A board which fulfilled my soul and personal quest for “more”.

This was it! Joining a Board would allow me to leverage my MBA for a good cause. My MBA was an allowance, giving me the permission to apply within this arena without having to have work for 25+years. It provided me credibility which is usually gained through years of service. Through my journey of self-discovery, which followed graduation and lasted about a year, I had finally figured out what “more” meant to me.

Before I started my MBA, my husband and I sadly lost a child, Carlee Dale, when she was an infant, to a rare epileptic disorder called Ohtahara Syndrome. The experience of losing a child changed me forever and I hope no one will ever have to live with the lasting sorrow, like I do. I persevered through some personally tragic, hard and dark times. As time progressed, so has my healing. However, I continued to crave a challenge of perseverance. The challenge gave me relief and solace. It gave me something on which to focus my energy, while providing a distraction.

Fast forward, having my MBA in hand, the only thing that made sense was to fight in Carlee Dale’s memory and for other people impacted by epilepsy. I applied to the Board for Epilepsy Canada and was welcomed to join the Board in September 2019. Epilepsy Canada is a Canadian charity which works to raise funds to fund research and find a cure for epilepsy. Its funding is driven primarily by social media, individual events and sadly, estates. We are actively seeking corporate partnerships and alliances in order to strengthen and support our ability to fund important research initiatives to find a cure across Canada.

I have found the ‘more’ I had been looking for. I found it with Epilepsy Canada. In hindsight, I see that my personal quest and perseverance to obtain my MBA was to honour the memory of my little girl. She was my inspiration and it is my soul-fulfilling honour to be able to use my hard-earned MBA to help find a cure for epilepsy.

Epilepsy Canada. – Canada’s only national, registered charity, dedicated to raising funds for Epilepsy research and education.

Founded in 1966.

Did you know:

Over 350,000 Canadian men, women and children live with Epilepsy. It affects 65 million worldwide.
There is no cure.
Epilepsy affects more people than cerebral palsy + muscular dystrophy + multiple sclerosis + cystic fibrosis, combined
Epilepsy causes more deaths than breast cancer, prescription overdoses, skin cancer and drunk driving accidents
The epileptic population is 2x as likely as the general population to suffer from depression

Carrie Morrison: My Journey to Find More

June 2, 2020 rbudd 4 Comments

Carrie Morrison MBA(FS) Class of 2018

Epilepsy Canada. – Canada’s only national, registered charity, dedicated to raising funds for Epilepsy research and education.

Founded in 1966.

Did you know:

Over 350,000 Canadian men, women and children live with Epilepsy. It affects 65 million worldwide.
There is no cure.
Epilepsy affects more people than cerebral palsy + muscular dystrophy + multiple sclerosis + cystic fibrosis, combined
Epilepsy causes more deaths than breast cancer, prescription overdoses, skin cancer and drunk driving accidents
The epileptic population is 2x as likely as the general population to suffer from depression

Editors note: CEGE Connection is pleased to advise that Carrie has graciously agreed to be a repeat contributor on CEGE Connection.

Carrie Morrison: Exploring the Limits of Potential

February 12, 2019 rbudd Leave a Comment

“The sweetest successes come from adventures which push us past our limits, challenge our strength and test our will. Ultimately, learning to embrace change, thriving within ambiguity, stretching and releasing myself of personal constraints, and having the determination to persevere no matter the challenge were my greatest lessons.

Carrie Morrison MBA(FS) Class of 2018

With the completion of my MBA(FS), I rewarded myself by taking the trip of a lifetime, cage diving with Great White Sharks off the coast of Guadeloupe. What a thrilling adventure, taking risks and diving into an experience filled with uncertainty! Believe it or not, I leveraged many of the skills I learned to enjoy and embrace throughout my MBA candidacy.

In 2014, I resolved to take ownership over my own success and explore opportunities that would push me outside of my comfort zone. As a mother of two and a dedicated Branch Manager in the financial services sector, my decision to engage in a challenging academic journey was an affirmation and commitment to myself. I recognized that life is measured by our choices and the risks we take to realize our potential. I wanted a life filled with experiences marked by courage and purpose, rather than defined by risks avoided or sidestepped.

My MBA journey provided me with lessons far beyond my expectations. Fast forward four years of balancing multiple priorities and a lot of hard work, graduation became one of the proudest moments of my life. I experienced indescribable feelings of accomplishment, confidence and assuredness, which can only be summarized as personal success!

Upon reflection, the most significant and impactful lessons were not illustrated within the program outline or a course syllabus; rather, it was the unwritten lessons which have left a lasting imprint:

Having the courage to take risks, accepting that failure is plausible but having the resilience to continue;
Embracing uncertainty; the sweetest and most rewarding accomplishments come from those which we have pushed ourselves beyond our comfort zone;
Increased awareness and understanding of personal capacity with limitless boundaries or guardrails restricting my potential;
Welcoming change and fostering the determination and discipline to take responsibility for personal growth.

Surprisingly, and in some ways not surprisingly at all, the ultimate learning I have experienced from achieving a MBA is that the sweetest successes come from adventures which push us past our limits, challenge our strength and test our will. Ultimately, learning to embrace change, thriving within ambiguity, stretching and releasing myself of personal constraints, and having the determination to persevere no matter the challenge were my greatest lessons.

Today, and as I move forward in my career with aspirations of becoming an executive of the bank within the year and a senior executive within the next seven years (I always put a time frame on my goals), the textbook learnings, care of Dalhousie University, will guide my judgement and decisioning. Whereas the unwritten, unpublished and unmarketed soft-skill learnings will continue to drive me forward toward my dreams and full potential.

My advice is to have courage to accept a challenge and reach outside of your comfort zone, for within challenge is where personal growth blooms!

Carrie Morrison MBA(FS) Class of 2018

Carrie Morrison MBA(FS) leads an amazing group of colleagues who represent the North American Contact Centre in initiatives, campaigns and projects across the TD enterprise in a business leadership capacity. CEGE Connection is pleased to advise that Carrie has graciously agreed to be a repeat contributor on CEGE Connection.

Category: International Epilepsy Awareness Day