Grateful about treatments of Epileptic seizures, a teen wants to give...

One local teen wants to thank the hospital where he was successfully treated for his epileptic seizures.

"When I would walk up to Children’s Hospital, they had this banner that stated ’Best hospital in the nation,’" said Barry Kriegsman, a high school sophomore. "I just wanted children who go there now to be able to feel the same experiences I did."

Kriegsman is organizing the first Holliston 5K Road Race to benefit Children’s Hospital Boston, scheduled for 9 a.m. on Sunday at Holliston High School. The registration fee of $10 per person will help hospital patients who cannot afford the costs of treatment, pay for new equipment and staff training.

"I just wanted to do something for them," he said.

As a second-grader, Kriegsman suffered absence seizures -- a form of epilepsy -- and began six years of treatment at Children’s Hospital in Boston.

According to Children’s Hospital, about 5 percent of all children will experience a seizure and 1 percent will develop epilepsy. About 55,000 new cases of epilepsy, when temporary disturbances affect electrical activity in the brain, are diagnosed every year.

Lauren Collard, the hospital special events officer, said about $1 million annually is raised through fund-raisers like Kriegsman’s race. While fund-raisers from grateful patients are common, Kriegsman is unusually young to organize an event.

"It’s not a tough sell when you’re helping sick children," said Collard.

Kriegsman said doctors used a special computer program to determine the specific reason why he was having seizures and improved his treatment with medication.

Doctors also encouraged him to control his hyperventilation -- which appeared to spur additional seizures -- through running. The combined treatment worked: he hasn’t experienced a seizure in more than four years, he said.

"Right now, I’m all cured," he said. "They did a really great job."

Kriegsman’s new road race already has earned $1,700 for the hospital and registered more than 100 participants, he said. He expects to raise more than $2,000 and that about 150 runners will take part Sunday.

He’ll be pulling double-duty this weekend, as he will participate in fellow Holliston resident Marshall Cohen’s "Bike for Breath" on Saturday. Cohen’s ride benefits research into the lung disease lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

His high school running coaches, both expected to help with Sunday’s road race, said the young runner is making a difference. Kriegsman is a member of the school’s track and cross country teams.

Boys track coach Sam Blackmore said it’s surprising someone as young as Kriegsman could organize a road race. "It’s a particularly big undertaking for a sophomore in high school," said Blackmore.

Kriegsman sets a high standard for his peers, said cross country coach Phil Ryan.

"Being able to help him out and go with the flow has been an experience," said Ryan. "He’s a role model, not just for his teammates, but for any kid."