Purple Day for Epilepsy
Next: March 26, 2027
Wear purple so no one feels alone.
The story
Where it comes from
Purple Day was the idea of Cassidy Megan, a nine-year-old from Halifax, Nova Scotia, who lives with epilepsy. In 2008 she wanted people to talk about the condition, to clear away the myths around it and to let anyone who has seizures know they are not alone. The Epilepsy Association of the Maritimes helped her develop the idea, and in 2009 it joined the Anita Kaufmann Foundation in the United States to launch Purple Day around the world. It is named after lavender, the internationally recognised colour for epilepsy.
How it's celebrated
On 26 March people wear purple to show their support, and schools, businesses and community groups hold events to share facts about epilepsy. Cassidy's own wish was for more people to know what to do when someone has a seizure, so learning basic seizure first aid is a fine way to take part. A purple card for a friend who lives with epilepsy says the rest.
Did you know
- In 2012 Canada's Parliament passed the Purple Day Act, which names 26 March as Purple Day across the country and encourages people to wear purple.
- The Act says plainly that Purple Day is not a legal holiday.
- More than 65 million people around the world live with epilepsy, a condition of the nervous system that causes seizures.
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