Lighting the Falls lavender

Epilepsy awareness campaign brightens Niagara

NIAGARA FALLS

Niagara's natural wonder will be bathed in lavender light tonight to help raise awareness of epilepsy.

Epilepsy Niagara has launched its annual campaign, Epilepsy Awareness Month, for the month of March in an effort to raise awareness about what epilepsy is and how it affects peoples’ lives. Lighting the Falls with lavender tonight is the main symbolic event.

Many people living with epilepsy are confronted with myths and misconceptions of their disorder, says a release from Epilepsy Niagara.

Epilepsy is not a psychological illness or disease, but is a functional disorder of the brain where sudden, brief electrical malfunctions may temporarily block awareness. Many are unaware of what epilepsy is, and there continues to be amounts of misunderstanding associated with this disorder.

Lavender is the colour of epilepsy because the lavender flower is associated with solitude, representing the feelings of isolation and seclusion that people living with epilepsy and seizure disorder often experience, says Epilepsy Niagara.

Approximately 300,000 Canadians have epilepsy and each year 14,000 new people learn that they too are affected. This is twice as many people as those with muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis andcystic fibrosis combined. Yet epilepsy is still the least funded neurological disorder, says the release.

With Lighting the Falls Lavender, the goal of Epilepsy Awareness Month is to raise awareness and encourage people to acknowledge and understand this disorder. By changing the attitudes of those who are uninformed, we will be able to encourage the public funding needed to support epilepsy centres, support services, education, and research for a cure.

Source: http://www.wellandtribune.ca/