Our Mission - Chelsea Hutchison Foundation

Mission Statement

The Chelsea Hutchison Foundation exists to raise awareness of SUDEP and use it to grant comfort, hope, and positivity to individuals and families living with epilepsy.

What We Believe

We believe that access to information and resources shouldn’t depend on a family’s zip code or bank account. We believe that grief, when channeled with intention, can become something powerful. And we believe that Chelsea’s life—short as it was—has the capacity to protect lives for generations to come.

Our Pillars

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Community

Epilepsy is isolating. The diagnosis is frightening, the unknowns are overwhelming, and too many families feel like they're navigating it alone. We exist to change that. Through our programs, events, and networks, we connect families to each other and to the resources they need.

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Education

Most people have never heard of SUDEP. Most families don't know that seizure monitors exist, or that a trained dog can change the safety landscape of a home. We believe that information is protection—and we're committed to getting it into the hands of every family that needs it.

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Access

The best safety tools in the world don't help if a family can't afford them. Our programs provide movement monitors and seizure-response dogs at no cost to qualifying families. Because cost should never be the reason a family goes without.

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Hope

We lead with Chelsea's story not because we want to dwell in loss, but because we want families to see what's possible. Grief doesn't have to be the end of the story. Action can be.

About the Foundation

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The Chelsea Hutchison Foundation was established in 2009 by Julie and Doug Hutchison in memory of their daughter Chelsea Alice Hutchison, who passed away from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).

We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our board is composed of family members, which ensures that Chelsea’s vision and values remain at the center of every decision we make.

All the funds we raise, including individual donations, go directly toward our programs. We are grateful to every sponsor, volunteer, attendee, and donor who makes this work possible.