Purple Day of Epilepsy 2025 is observed as a global movement to dedicate and raise awareness and break the stigma surrounding epilepsy.HistoryThe Purple day was created in 2008, by Cassidy Megan, a young girl from Canada, who had epilepsy and wanted to get people to talk about the condition. She decided to use the color purple because lavender is recognised as the international flower of epilepsy. Cassidy did not only want to raise awareness but also assure people with epilepsy that they are not alone.Thus, Purple day has grown to be a global event.Every year, on March 26, people in countries around the world are invited to wear purple and host events in support of epilepsy awareness. In 2025, more than 85 countries on all continents participated in Purple day. Canada, being the home country of Cassidy, who started the Purple Day, is also the only country in the world to officially recognize March 26 as Purple Day through the Purple Day Act implemented on June 28, 2012.What Is Epilepsy?Epilepsy is a brain disease where nerve cells do not signal properly and so it causes seizures. In epilepsy, these seizures get uncontrolled, what happens here is that since seizures are uncontrolled bursts of electrical activities, it changes sensations, behaviors, awareness and muscle movement. Although epilepsy cannot be cured, there are treatment options which are available. Up to 70% of people can manage the disease with medications.It is also known as seizure disorder.How common is it?In the US, around 34 million people have epilepsy, notes the Cleveland Clinic. Out of this, 3 million are adults, while 470,000 are children. There are 150,000 new cases of epilepsy every year in the US, while worldwide, 65 million people have epilepsy.What Does It Do To Your Brain?Your brain cells communicate by sending and receiving messages throughout your body via continuous electrical impulses. Epilepsy disrupts this process, causing sudden bursts of electrical activity—similar to an unpredictable lightning storm—between cells in one or more areas of the brain. This disruption can affect awareness (including loss of consciousness), sensations, emotions, and muscle movements.Types Of Epilepsies and their seizure symptomsThere are two major seizure groups, namely:Focal Onset Seizure: these start in one area or network of cells, on one side of your brain. The seizure used to be called partial onset. There are also two types of focal seizure:Focal onset aware seizure: this happens when you are awake and aware during the seizure.Focal onset impaired awareness seizure: this happens when you are confused or have lost awareness or consciousness during the seizure.Generalized Onset Seizure: these affect a widespread network of cells on both sides of your brain at the same time. There are six types of generalized seizures:Absence seizures: which causes a blank stare.Atonic seizure: This happens when you lose muscle control.Tonic seizure: This happens when your muscle control has greatly increased, you may become stiff.Clonic seizure: This happens when you muscles are repeatedly relaxing and stiffening.Tonic-clonic seizure: This is a combination of stiffness and repeated rhythmic muscle jerking.Myoclonic seizures: This causes brief, shock-like muscle jerks and twitches.