"Mighty Mike" Simmel is no stranger to adversity.  Born in Glendale, CA, Mike developed epilepsy at the age of 2.  As his family moved to NJ, he struggled as a youth and was debilitated to the point where he could not participate in "regular" activities.  Mike could not do the simple things other kids could do, like hop on one leg or skip, because of his condition.  Young Mike could not eat normal meals at the dinner table or with sharp utensils and even needed helped going to the bathroom, for fear that his head would smack downward and he would get hurt, as a result of a violent seizure.  In school, he was placed in special education gym class because of his slow motor skills and development.  Mike out grew his early "drop attacks" at age 7 and his father gave him a basketball to see if his coordination could develop.  It worked and Mike dreamed big.  Years later at age 16, when he was at a basketball camp, he had an epileptic seizure, his first in nearly 10 years.  The camp nearly and unsuccessfully tried to have him removed.  That incident would change him forever, as he knew that one day he wanted to give back to other young people who felt in the same position as him.   Mike's epilepsy came back in high school in the form of grand mal seizures.   Still he was a 3 year varsity starter, standout point guard, captain and graduate of Don Bosco Prep High School, and was a starter and assist leader at the prestigious Hun School of Princeton as a postgraduate.  His bouts with seizures would continue through college, which led him down a tough road where he would eventually finish and get his degree at SUNY Purchase, a 2 year captain, assist and steals leader.  Fortunately, despite dealing with epilepsy and bipolar disorder, which could have forced him to walk away from the court all together, Mike has been able to overcome all obstacles and be quite successful on the basketball circuit.  He currently takes medications, is seizure free and a model picture of healthy living.  Mike currently has been a member of the world-famous entertainment basketball team, the Harlem Wizards, since 2001.  He has been featured on many TV news and radio shows including Disney Radio, ESPN Radio, Bloomberg Radio, voiceamerica.com, RNN News-TV and MSG-Sports Network (NY).  Mike has even performed live on NBC's It's Showtime at the Apollo and at the NBA's Rhythm n' Rims Festival.  He also performs one-man halftime shows and is a leading speaker at summer basketball camps across the country speaking at over 400 camps throughout the past 9 years.  Mike is also a national spokesperson for Epilepsy Awareness speaking at Epilepsy Foundation events across the country.  Mike was a national spokesman for Eisai Pharmaceuticals from 2004-06 and from 2006-07 he was a national spokesman for Abbott Laboratories pharmaceutical company.  On August 14, 2007, Mike was honored and given the Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award by Exceptional Parent Magazine for his contributions to the special needs community during the annual Disability Awareness Night at Yankee Stadium.  For more background information on "Mighty Mike" Simmel, including news articles and scheduling, check out his comprehensive website mightymikebasketball.com.