Escargot Challenge
Our first official social media challenge launched on Wednesday, February 26th! In honor of Mark’s adventurous palette, we’ve decided to raise awareness about Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) by challenging our supporters, followers, and anyone on the Internet to eat escargot. Why escargot? Mark loved trying new foods and couldn’t wait to try escargot for the first time at The Hollywood Brown Derby in Disney World's Hollywood Studios at 8 years old.
Join The Mark Shaparin Foundation for our Escargot Challenge culminating event on Saturday, March 22 from 3-7 pm at Wayside Cottage in Scarsdale, NY. Our live event will support our social media challenge, which has raised awareness about epilepsy and Sudden Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) throughout the month of March.
We'll have escargot available at our event for anyone who would like to partake in the challenge as well as gummy and chocolate snails for our supporters that want to participate but are unable to eat a “real” snail.
Escargot Challenge
Dates: 2/26/25 - 3/26/25
Goal: To increase awareness about epilepsy and Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).
Challenge: Participants can either partake in the challenge to eat escargot or make a donation to The Mark Shaparin Foundation. (Similar in model to the ice bucket challenge.) Participants can alternatively complete the challenge by eating a chocolate or gummy snail.
Location of Participation: A restaurant or at home. Escargot is available at most gourmet supermarkets or online via Instacart, for example.
How to Participate: The participant will record a video of themselves eating escargot and saying the following suggested script:
“Hi, my name is [name] and I accept The Mark Shaparin Foundation Escargot Challenge to increase awareness about epilepsy and Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, also known as SUDEP.”
Optional: Include a fact about SUDEP to increase awareness such as:
“SUDEP is the leading cause of death in epilepsy. However, most people — including medical providers — have never heard of SUDEP.”
“More than 3,000 people die each year from SUDEP. However, most people — including medical providers — have never heard of SUDEP.”
“Eight people die each day from SUDEP. However, most people — including medical providers — have never heard of SUDEP.”
“This is why I accept the challenge.”
The participant then eats the escargot and says:
“Follow The Mark Shaparin Foundation or go to markshaparinfoundation.org to learn more about SUDEP risk factors and prevention. Who is next to accept the Escargot Challenge?” [Or, they can directly challenge someone.]
Completion of Challenge: The participant will post the video on social media and tag/collaborate with @markshaparinfdn and the restaurant, if applicable, with the hashtags: #Escargot4Epilepsy, #SUDEPAwareness, #SUDEP, #EpilepsyAwareness, #Epilepsy, #SeizureAwareness, #Seizure, #Seizures, #Escargot and #Childloss. (If using instagram, please post as a reel and add to your story). When posting please encourage your followers to share and repost with at least 5 people.
Making a Donation without Accepting the Challenge: The participant will record a video of themselves saying the following suggested script:
“Hi, my name is [name]. In honor of The Mark Shaparin Foundation’s Escargot Challenge, I made a donation to help increase awareness about epilepsy and Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, also known as SUDEP. Though I’m not eating a snail, I want everyone to learn about SUDEP risk factors and prevention to save lives. Go to markshaparinfoundation.org to learn more. Who is next to accept the Escargot Challenge?”
Thank you for considering being a part of The Mark Shaparin Foundation Escargot Challenge!
***Please do not eat raw snails as that may be dangerous***