Purple Day is an international grassroots celebration that aims to raise awareness about epilepsy. This condition affects more than 65 million people worldwide. Epilepsy, a neurological condition that can cause seizures and often starts in childhood, is often misunderstood. This can cause difficulties in social situations. Purple Day’s purpose is to educate those who don‚Äôt know the condition and to help those with epilepsy recognize that they are not the only ones.

It makes sense that purple should be chosen for this important day of awareness and recognition because lavender is an international epilepsy colour and also symbolises solitude.

Nine-year-old Cassidy Megan from Canada founded Purple Day in 2008. She was inspired by her own epilepsy battle. Cassidy’s efforts were supported both by the Epilepsy Association of The Maritimes of Canada (EAM) and the Anita Kaufmann Foundation of New York. The day became an international event.

Purple Day gained popularity quickly! In 2009, the celebration was in its second year. It attracted more than 100,00 students from 95 places of work and 116 politicians to take part in the festivities.

The day just kept growing from there. It is hard to believe that Purple Day made it to Disney World in 2019, only 10 years after its original launch. Purple Day was sponsored by the Epilepsy Foundation of Central Florida. Many participants shared in the magic of the day. Cassidy Megan (the day’s founder) made a special appearance and became friends with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.

Purple Day is now celebrated in every continent, as well as in more than 100 countries worldwide, including in India, Australia and South Africa. Notable is however the fact that Canada is the only country whose government officially recognizes the day. This was made possible by the Purple Day Act, which was passed on June 28, 2012.

This day can be celebrated in a fun and meaningful way. These ideas are just a few of the many ways you can help.

It is easy to honour Purple Day by pulling out something purple from your closet and putting it on. Purple shirts, dresses, pants, or hats are all good options. You can also dress in purple from head-to-toe.

You can try purple lipstick, purple face glitter and purple eyeshadow. Purple hair dye is a great option for those who are more dedicated to the cause.

Purple Day supporters can purchase a Purple Day T-shirt from the official website.

You can host a special coffee hour, organize a quiz evening or hold a murder mystery night in support of Purple Day. These can be done either in person or online. The Epilepsy Society of the UK has easy-to-use resources to help you gather your friends, family, or coworkers for an awareness campaign.

You can find more creative ways to support Purple Day by looking at what others have done in the past. Some people have raised money by dyeing their hair purple, shaving off their hair, climbing 1000 steps, or giving up something that they love to raise funds for Purple Day. Some have organised fun runs, walks, and cycles (26 miles is the perfect distance for the 26th!) to bring awareness to those with epilepsy.

You can also dress up in purple and host a fund-raising event to support EANS, The Anita Kaufman Foundation, or another charity that supports epilepsy awareness.

To learn more about epilepsy, visit your local library. There are many resources available online to help raise awareness about epilepsy.

Just by reading Cassidy Megan’s story, people can become more aware of the difficulties and triumphs associated with epilepsy. It is important to do whatever you can to help epilepsy patients and spread the word about Purple Day.

It’s also a great opportunity to get involved in fun activities that allow you to share your day. These crafts and activities are great for getting your hands dirty.

It can be difficult to find purple foods, but it is possible to make a healthy meal from (mostly) purple food. They are fun to look at and packed with nutritional value.

What is the Purple Day menu? While eggplant is the most obvious choice, purple sweet potatoes and purple carrots are also options. However, they can be a little more difficult to find. Purple cabbage slaw, or purple kale (also known as redbor) salad are good options. A purple fruit salad with blueberries, purple grapes and purple acaiberries is another option.

Purple yogurt (colored with berries), is a great snack option for those who don’t want to cook a full meal. Consider grape juice, grape KoolAid or grape Fanta soda as beverages.

Anyone who is interested in spreading awareness about epilepsy and supporting Purple Day may become an ‘Ambassador for Purple’. This involves wearing purple to spread awareness about epilepsy to the local community as well as friends and family.

Anita Kauffman was one of the first supporters of the day and set a Guinness World Record in 2017 for the largest epilepsy training session. This event was also combined with the Purple Day Walk, which took place at Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota, USA.