Ben Affleck donates $100K to support children battling epilepsy, shares personal connection to the cause

The Care & Cure Institute’s 20th anniversary gala raised nearly $2 million to expand specialist care for children

Ben Affleck has donated $100,000 to support children living with epilepsy, sharing a personal connection to the condition during a charity event honouring his philanthropic efforts.

The actor attended The Care & Cure Institute’s 20th Anniversary Gala on October 28, where he was recognised for his longstanding charitable work. The nonprofit aims to address the shortage of specialists trained to diagnose and treat epilepsy in children.

Ahead of National Epilepsy Awareness Month in November, Affleck spoke about witnessing people close to him deal with the condition and stressed the importance of families gaining timely access to medical specialists.

“Epilepsy is not abstract to me. I have watched people I care about deal with it, and I have seen how much it matters when a family can get in front of the right doctor quickly,” he said.

Affleck also praised physicians who dedicate their careers to treating children and commended the organisation for helping train more specialists.

The gala raised nearly $2 million, with Affleck expressing gratitude to attendees who contributed to the cause. He also promised to continue supporting efforts to raise awareness and funds.

Addressing the audience, the actor emphasised that illness can affect any family and encouraged people to take action to help children in need.

“None of us get to choose whether it is our child or someone else’s child who gets sick,” Affleck said. “But all of us get to choose what we are going to do about the children who do get sick.”

He highlighted the organisation’s impact over the past two decades, noting that doctors trained through its efforts have cared for more than 350,000 children.

Affleck concluded by urging supporters to continue building on that progress and ensuring more young patients can access specialised care.

The event also celebrated the work of Care & Cure Institute co-founders Andrew Gumpert and Mark Borman, whose organisation continues to focus on improving treatment access for children with epilepsy.