Purple Day is an Epilepsy Awareness Day celebrated on March 26th of every year. People living in the world are affected by different kinds of diseases and Epilepsy is one of its kind. Epilepsy is found to be a group of neurological disorders which is characterized by recurrent unprovoked epileptic seizures in the brain. Epileptic seizures are the consequence of excessive and abnormal nerve cell activity that occurs in the cortex of the brain. Epilepsy is found to be the fourth most common neurological disorder that affects people of all ages. Although various nations are observing a day in the year to bring awareness about this disease, Purple Day seems to be quite special. It is because this Day is a global grassroots event aimed at raising awareness about epilepsy worldwide. As purple and lavender are often associated with epilepsy disease, this Day has been named so.
“People think that epilepsy is divine simply because they don’t have any idea what causes epilepsy. But I believe that someday we will understand what causes epilepsy, and at that moment, we will cease to believe that it’s divine. And so it is with everything in the universe.” – Hippocrates
History of Purple Day
The Purple Day has been in observance since the year 2008. Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, Canada is the founder of this Day. Being motivated by her own struggles with epilepsy, Cassidy Megan had created this observance when she was a nine-year-old. The Day aims to increase awareness, reduce stigma and empower those individuals surviving with epilepsy to take action in their communities. Cassidy’s goal with this Purple Day is to get to the people talking about epilepsy in an effort to dispel the myths associated with it. She has not only created this Day to raise awareness about epilepsy but also informs those with seizures that they are not alone.
Cassidy’s idea was supported by the Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia (EANS) and which is now known as the Purple Day for Epilepsy campaign. Later in 2009, Purple Day has been launched internationally by the joined forces of the Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia (EANS) and the New York-based Anita Kaufmann Foundation (AKF). Both the organizations being the global sponsors of this epilepsy awareness Day, are actively committed to partnering with individuals and other organizations from around the world in a way to promote epilepsy awareness. The combined efforts of EANS and AKF have increased the involvement of various organizations, schools, businesses, politicians, and even celebrities around the world.
Purple and lavender colors are the international color associated with epilepsy that symbolizes solitude. Thus it is the reason for purple being the color of choice for this celebration. So supporters are encouraged to wear any purple-colored item of clothing, for example, wearing a lavender ribbon. Those who are involved in supporting the Purple Day can become an ‘Ambassador of Purple.’ The Ambassador’s role involves wearing the purple dress and spreading the awareness of epilepsy to the community, friends, and family. They will also hold a purple-themed fund-raising event with the support of EANS, AKF, or any other charity who are actively supporting epilepsy awareness.
Epilepsy disease is a group of neurological disorders identified by epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures occur as the result of excessive and abnormal nerve cell activity in the cortex region of the brain. Although the cause of most cases of epilepsy is unknown, some cases occur as the result of brain injury, stroke, infections of the brain, brain tumors, and congenital disabilities, which are found by a process known as epileptogenesis. However, this disease is more common in older people. Epilepsy that occurs as a consequence of other issues may be preventable. Epilepsy seizures are often controllable with medication in about 70 percent of the cases. People with epilepsy in some parts of the world are experiencing varying degrees of social stigma due to their disease. So it is indeed vital to save and bring in awareness about this disease as it is not a deadly thing.
Other Celebrations on March 26
March 26 is also celebrated as
How to Celebrate Purple Day
Celebrating Purple Day is very easy and simple. Get to know more about Epilepsy, its symptoms, treatments. It is vital to bring awareness to people globally about epilepsy through this celebration. Share your knowledge to make your family and community understand what epilepsy is in detail. Wear a purple or lavender color dress or hold a ribbon to spread awareness about Epilepsy. Be an active supporter to spread knowledge about this disease by indulging in holding an epilepsy fund-raising event. Take the awareness thoughts from the rural to the urban side of your region as people are still unaware of epilepsy and its symptoms. It is also vital to make people with epilepsy stand strong from the social stigma they are facing. You can share your awareness and views about this celebration on social media using the hashtag #PurpleDay.
Thank you for reading the post. You can celebrate every day with Happydays365.org and Happy Purple Day 2024.
