Today is Purple Day, an international grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide. Every year on March 26, people in countries around the world are invited to wear purple and host events in support of epilepsy awareness. Epilepsy is a condition of the brain that is characterized by recurrent seizures. More than 300,000 Canadians are currently living with epilepsy, which can occur as a single condition, or may accompany other conditions affecting the brain, such as cerebral palsy, mental impairment, autism, Alzheimer’s, and traumatic brain injury.
While epilepsy affects each person living with the condition differently, according to the Canadian Epilepsy Alliance there are a few key things to keep in mind if someone you know has a convulsive or non-convulsive seizure:
- Stay Calm. Most seizures only last a few minutes.
- Protect the person from injury. Move dangerous objects out of the way and place something soft under the head if necessary.
- Do not restrain the person or put anything in the mouth.
- After the seizure, talk reassuringly to the person.
To learn more about how you can join the Purple Day campaign or find Purple Day events in your community, visit purpleday.org.