Every year, a Featured Family is honored at the Winter Walk for their dedication to epilepsy awareness. The 2026 Award goes to the Vince family, “Angelina’s Army.”
Angelina began having seizures shortly after her second birthday. At 8 years old, she was diagnosed with Lennox Gastaut Syndrome (LGS.) LGS is a rare form of epilepsy that causes her to have seizures every day. Like many others with LGS, her seizures are uncontrolled, meaning medication cannot stop them. She’s been hospitalized many times, had several surgeries, and tried countless different medications, often with terrible side effects. She also has autism.
The severity and frequency of Angelina’s seizures cause developmental delays and wear away at abilities she had already learned. In the past 10 years, she became nonverbal, and can’t walk, run, or play like she could when she was younger. She can’t go to school every day. She struggles to sleep because of nighttime seizures. She gets exhausted more easily.
But there’s so much more to Angelina than her epilepsy. She is full of personality. Positive. Brave. Smiling through it all. She loves Disney, especially Frozen and Toy Story. She loves Christmas. She stays strong during hospital visits, no matter how scared she is.
Angelina also loves coming to the Epilepsy Association Winter Walk. Her family has walked with us as team Angelina’s Army every year since 2020. She loves seeing the therapy dogs and dancers at the walk. But most of all, the Vince family loves having a day made just for kids like Angelina.
“Most kids that have epilepsy have limitations on what they can do. So, they may miss out on some activities that maybe somebody else can do. It can feel isolating,” said Angelina’s mother, Trish Vince. “When we all get together, there’s something about being around others that can relate to what you’re walking through.”
The Vince family was selected to be the 2026 Featured Family because they do so much for epilepsy awareness. In their 6 years being part of Winter Walk, their team has raised over $6,500 through donations, bake sales, and custom Angelina’s Army gear like shirts and headbands. In 2025, Trish Vince was the top individual fundraiser at Winter Walk, and though her family was unable to attend Outrace Epilepsy!, they still ran their own awareness 5k at a local high school track.
They also have a Facebook page, Angelina’s Army, where they share her story to educate people about all aspects of epilepsy. That includes positive moments and hard times. The also talk about what it’s like to have a child with both epilepsy and autism. Angelina’s story inspires hope, spreads awareness, and brings us closer to ending the stigma against epilepsy.
We are in awe of the strength of the entire Vince family, their optimism, and their determination to turn their situation into a way to help others. If you would like to donate to their 2026 Winter Walk fundraising team, you can find their team page here.