Published: March 23, 2016
Purple isn’t just fashionable, it’s also a way to show support for epilepsy awareness.
Sparrow encourages everyone to wear purple on Saturday, March 26, for Purple Day, which is aimed at educating the public on the neurological disorder that affects 65 million people worldwide.
Statistics show one in 26 Americans will be diagnosed with epilepsy, which disrupts nerve cell activity in the brain and causes seizures. In two-thirds of Patients diagnosed with epilepsy, the cause is unknown and there is no cure, said Erica Austin, D.O., Sparrow and Michigan State University HealthTeam Neurologist.
Purple Day is designed in part to shed light on a disorder that often makes people uncomfortable.
“There’s no reason to be scared of epilepsy,” Dr. Austin said. “We want everyone to feel empowered to learn more about this disorder, educate the public, and maybe even help if they see someone having a seizure.”
Sparrow is involved in several activities this week to promote Purple Day and epilepsy awareness.
The Sparrow Foundation will host a free forum tonight with Kenneth Laxer, M.D., a nationally renowned researcher, to discuss medications, controlling seizures, and other issues. The forum, “The Science and Magic of Epilepsy Treatment,” is from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Kellogg Center’s Lincoln Room at MSU.
On Friday, an information booth in the lobby of Sparrow Hospital in Lansing will provide visitors with more information on epilepsy.
Sparrow is dedicated to transforming care in the mid-Michigan region. Sparrow’s state-of-the-art Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, the first of its kind in the region, is helping improve the health of the people in the communities we serve.
Choose Wisely. Choose Sparrow.