Wear Purple on Thursday, March 26, for epilepsy awareness

Purple Day is celebrated on March 26 every year. It is an international day focused on promoting awareness about epilepsy and making sure people have accurate information.

Purple Day was started in 2008, by a girl named Cassidy Megan from Nova Scotia, Canada. She suffers from epilepsy herself. Cassidy chose the color purple because in some countries the lavender flower symbolizes isolation, which is sometimes how people with epilepsy feel.

My brother, Elan, has had epilepsy since he was four years old. Two years ago, my oldest brother, Elisha, started Purple Day Boston because he knew people did not have the right information about the disease. Elisha wanted people to know the facts about epilepsy and how they could help if they see someone having a seizure. He started HOPE TIME CURE foundation to raise funds in the Boston area to create epilepsy awareness material and programs. Like Cassidy, Elisha did not want the 65 million people with epilepsy to feel so alone.

Last year my brother organized 32 of his friends to run the Jerusalem Marathon with him as TEAM PURPLE. They raised $15,000 for epilepsy awareness. This year he organized 57 runners and raised $35,000.

Please mark your calendars for March 26, 2015, and wear purple on Purple Day along with me, my classmates at Striar Hebrew Academy, and thousands of other people around the world.

Yakira Galler

5th grader at Striar Hebrew Academy