Epilepsy Foundation of America Harnesses the “Power in Purple” for Special Awareness Day

Purple Day® encourages education, support, and advocacy for the epilepsy community

BOWIE, Md., March 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Join the Epilepsy Foundation of America for Purple Day® on March 26, 2025 to uplift the “Power In Purple”, this year’s event theme.

Approximately 65 million people are living with epilepsy across the world, and 1 in 26 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with epilepsy during their lifetime. On Purple Day®, we invite everyone to wear purple, host educational events, and spread awareness on social media to help foster understanding and eliminate the stigma surrounding epilepsy. Despite its prevalence, epilepsy remains widely misunderstood, leading to stigma, social isolation, and discrimination against those living with the condition.

Purple Day® was founded in 2008 by Cassidy Megan, a young girl from Nova Scotia, Canada, who was diagnosed with epilepsy. Motivated by her own experiences and the challenges of living with the condition, Cassidy launched the initiative to ensure that people with epilepsy feel supported and to educate the public about what epilepsy truly is. With the help of The Anita Kaufmann Foundation and the Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia, Purple Day quickly gained recognition and has since grown into a global movement involving schools, workplaces, and communities in more than 100 countries.

“Purple Day is more than just an awareness event. It’s a powerful movement that invites everyone to learn more about epilepsy,” said Bernice Martin Lee, chief executive officer of the Epilepsy Foundation of America. “By wearing purple, sharing facts about epilepsy and seizures, and advocating for change, we can challenge how the world perceives epilepsy so that no one faces epilepsy alone.”

On March 26, we encourage you to use the “Power in Purple” in your own unique way. Share with us how you’re supporting the epilepsy community using #PurpleDay and #EpilepsyAwareness. For more information about Purple Day®, please visit epilepsy.com/purpleday.

Purple Day® is owned by The Anita Kaufmann Foundation and is used under license from The Anita Kaufmann Foundation.

About Epilepsy
Epilepsy is considered by world experts to be the most common serious brain disorder worldwide with no age, racial, social class, national or geographic boundaries. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) estimates that 3.4 million people in the United States are affected by epilepsy. Epilepsy is the underlying tendency of the brain to produce seizures which are sudden abnormal bursts of electrical energy that disrupt brain functions. 

About the Epilepsy Foundation of America
The Epilepsy Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by epilepsy through education, advocacy, research, and connection. For more than five decades, the Epilepsy Foundation has shone a light on epilepsy to promote awareness and understanding, and to advocate for laws that matter to people with epilepsy, while also funding epilepsy research and supporting epilepsy investigators and specialists in their early careers. In partnership with the CDC, the Epilepsy Foundation has helped to improve access to care for people with epilepsy and trained more than 600,000 people in seizure recognition and first aid. The Epilepsy Foundation continues to focus on serving the epilepsy community through advocacy, education, direct services, and research for new therapies. To learn more visit epilepsy.com or call 1.800.332.1000; in Spanish at 866.748.8008 or laepilepsia.org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.

CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT:
Kaitlyn Gallagher
301.918.3756
kgallagher@efa.org