Coastal Championship Wrestling's headquarters came alive for a good cause this past Sunday.
We Will Overcome 2 – an afternoon of professional wrestling benefiting Epilepsy Florida – rocked the CCW Arena while raising awareness for an often overlooked affliction.
Produced by wrestler Anna Diaz, the event drew a standing room audience for its seven professional wrestling matches.
“I was amazed by how many people came out to support,” Diaz said. “The crowd was amazing and great to work with.”
Affecting people of all ages, an estimated 50 million people worldwide are afflicted with epilepsy. More than three million of them live in the United States, one of them being Diaz.
Diagnosed with epilepsy at age 6, the now 20-year-old Diaz has undergone five separate brain surgeries and recently had a device installed in her brain to help control the seizures.
“If you feel my head on that side you can feel a little bump, which is actually the battery that controls the seizures,” Diaz said. “When a seizure is coming on, the pacemaker will send a sign to my brain, like, ‘Hey, stop that!’”
A force in the ring, Diaz has been wrestling for nearly five years, earning praise from fellow competitors. In Sunday's main event, she closed the show by choking out Kilynn King, drawing a wild ovation.
“It felt amazing. I wish I could do that every day - start my mornings like that. It makes you feel invincible,” Diaz said.
Fellow CCW wrestlers turned out in force to help set up, run and enjoy the event. The undercard even featured the legendary former WWE star Gangrel.
“Words can't explain what this means to me. It was my honor. It's just an amazing event to bring awareness to epilepsy,” Gangrel said.
Representatives from the 501(c)3 Epilepsy Florida also attended the show, distributing information about epilepsy and informing the crowd how they can help make life easier for those with epilepsy.
Diaz expects to have raised more than $1,000 for Epilepsy Florida once all the accounting for the show was complete.
“When you can do something to help raise money for a cause like Epilepsy Florida, you jump at the chance,” CCW executive director Nelio Cuomo Costa said. “Anna's an amazing wrestler and an inspirational person. We're 100 percent behind supporting her.”