Byron couple buys billboards to remember daughter, call for action on sudden epilepsy deaths
ROCHESTER — Evonne and David Schlobohm didn't know about Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, or SUDEP, until March 13, 2022, when their daughter Melissa Clover suddenly died while taking a nap at her Apple Valley home. She was 37.
"I honestly don't know if she knew about SUDEP herself," David said.
Clover's parents described her as very independent and a hard worker — she followed her father's footsteps by pursuing a career in retail management.
"I can honestly say I grieve every day," Evonne said. "Her best friend put it in a good way — 'you just learn to ride the waves better as time goes on.'"
Clover was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 18. Over the next two decades, she took medication to control her symptoms, but would sometimes still have seizures, David said.
SUDEP occurs when an otherwise healthy person with epilepsy dies, and an autopsy determines no other cause of death, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. SUDEP can sometimes, but not always, be associated with a recent seizure.
Now, the Schlobohms are in their third year of advocating for more awareness and action around this risk for people with epilepsy, a condition that affects about 3.4 million Americans.
This week, two billboards in Rochester and one billboard in Faribault (David and Evonne's hometown) proclaim that Oct. 16 is SUDEP Action Day, along with a photo of Clover and the message "We miss Melissa."
In 2022, the first year the Byron couple purchased billboards for SUDEP Action Day, they put up the funds for one billboard display for one month. But, David said, Reagan Outdoor Advertising cut them a deal: five billboards displayed the Schlobohms' message for six months.
This year, the Schlobohms financed the billboards with help from the Danny Did Foundation, Thrivent, Sterling State Bank and First Security Bank in Byron.
The hope is to raise awareness about the risk of SUDEP, something that people with epilepsy and their loved ones often don't know about.
"Hopefully these billboards in Rochester are going to at least trigger something in one person or family to go online and actually find out what SUDEP is," Evonne said.
The Schlobohms' work has gone beyond billboards. After Clover's death, David was able to get SUDEP trifold fliers placed in Mayo Clinic's neurology lobby, and he recently spoke at a conference with the group Partners Against Mortality in Epilepsy.
In November, Clover's birthday month, the Schlobohms plan on having four billboards (three in Rochester, one in Faribault) up for one week that bear the message "Protect people with epilepsy." David said people can take action by checking in with friends or family members with epilepsy.
"Probably, somebody within your bubble has epilepsy, whether you know it or not," David said. "When you find that out, just ask them ... 'How's it going for you? Are you having seizures? Do you know about this (SUDEP)?'"
