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Friday, March 22, 2013
THE QUESNEL CONNECTION PAGE A13
VOL. 99 NO. 58
www.quesnelobserver.com
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Cassidy’s call for Purple Day ANNIE GALLANT Observer Reporter Thanks to the Herculian effort of Quesnel city staff, the footbridge over the Fraser River will be lit in purple in honour of Purple Day for Epilepsy, March 26. With 65 million people world-wide living with epilepsy, it stands to reason someone you know may be hiding their condition, fearful of how others may react. Statistically, at least one in 10 people will have one seizure in their lifetime. For nine-year-old Cassidy Megan, it wasn’t until a presentation on epilepsy in her Nova Scotia classroom that she had the courage to share with her classmates that she lives with epilepsy. With curiosity, not the ridicule she expected, her classmates learned what life was like for Cassidy. Encouraged by their reaction, Cassidy dared to dream of a day when everyone would have the knowledge needed to allow other people with epilepsy to be open and accepted. She also dreamed of a day set aside each year to acknowledge people with epilepsy and provide information for the general public. Cassidy chose March 26, a day within Epilepsy Month, and made it happen. With the support of the Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia (EANS) and the assistance of her school principal, they celebrated the first Purple Day for Epilepsy in 2008. Cassidy chose purple because the internationally recognized colour for epilepsy is lavender. EANS and the Anita Kaufmann Foundation in the United States are the global partners for the Purple Day campaign which launched internationally in 2009. The Purple Day movement has grown to include Purple Day Ambassadors from coast to coast dedicated to increasing awareness of epilepsy and March 26 is celebrated in more than 80 countries around the world. March 26 is a chance to educate the public about epilepsy. Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, affecting more than 300,000 people in Canada. It is a group of disorders of the central nervous system, specifically the brain and is characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Epilepsy can occur at any age and has many causes. Determining the specific cause for any one person’s epilepsy is often very difficult. A seizure occurs when the normal electrical balance in the brain is lost. Information is transmitted to the brain along neurons and when these neurons either misfire or fail to fire, seizures are the physical effect of these brief, uncontrolled bursts of abnormal electrical activity. There are two main types of epilepsy. During a generalized seizure, which can be convulsive or nonconvulsive, one’s consciousness may be altered or physical movements such as jerking may take place. Complete consciousness is lost during the most common seizure, a tonic clonic (formerly termed grand mal.) The second type is partial epilepsy where partial seizures begin with an abnormal burst of electrical activity in a restricted area of the brain. Partial seizures may be simple (with no loss of awareness), complex (with loss or alteration of awareness) or may secondarily generalize to involve both sides of the brain and result in convulsion. Although very difficult to diagnose, doctors depend on a thorough evaluation of a seizure (including any witness observations), a physical exam, family history and clinical tests of the brain function and structure. Epilepsy can be treated with medications, surgery, diet and vagus nerve stimulation, which is a device implanted near your collarbone that sends electrical signals to your brainstem, which in turn sends signals to certain parts of the brain. But it’s a delicate balance to find what treatment, or combination of treatments, is right for each person. For some, the majority of treatments have been exhausted and to no avail. This is known as refractory or intractable epilepsy. For people living with epilepsy, the neurological disorder can have a profound effect physically, psychologically and socially and seriously impact their quality of life. A number of factors are thought to contribute to this including the unpredictability of seizures as well as the stigma associated with epilepsy. see PAGE A11
Hardeep Bhangu Optometrist 15 years of experience as an Optometrist and has now returned to his hometown. Call and book your appointment today.
QUESNEL FAMILY OPTOMETRIC CENTER 455 McLean St. 250-992-5417
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