March 26th marks Purple Day – a pivotal moment in time to recognize and support those who live with epilepsy. As background, Purple Day is an international grassroots effort created in 2008 by then nine-year-old Cassidy Megan, who was motivated by her own struggles living with epilepsy and wanted to get people talking about the condition. Her goal was not only to dispel the myths that unfortunately surround the condition, but also remind those living with epilepsy that they are not alone on this journey. The campaign encourages people from countries around the world to wear purple – the color picked by Cassidy to represent this day given lavender is recognized as the international flower for epilepsy – as well as host events in support of epilepsy awareness. My colleagues and I are proudly joining thousands of people worldwide in recognition of this initiative to support the epilepsy community.
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases worldwide, with around 50 million people living with it today.1 Epilepsy can have significant, life-altering implications for patients, their families and caregivers. Additionally, there is a large unmet patient need, for example: of the 3 million adults and 470,000 children living with epilepsy in the U.S., approximately 1 million adults and up to 120,000 pediatric patients are resistant to current treatments.2,3
At Jazz, we understand the serious and challenging impact of neurological conditions like epilepsy, and believe all people, particularly those with difficult, complex conditions, deserve to live their lives as fully as possible.
In recognition of Purple Day, I’m honored to share what Jazz is doing as part of our commitment to the epilepsy community. This year, Jazz is the presenting sponsor of the fifth annual Purple Day® For Epilepsy Awareness Around the World Expo, which is a collaborative effort between the Anita Kaufmann Foundation and The Epilepsy Association. This comprehensive event is designed for patients living with epilepsy, and their caregivers, and offers an opportunity for those in the community to meet, engage, and be inspired to promote epilepsy awareness as well as a learn more about services and support available to them. During the expo, our teams were able to directly connect with the attendees and listen to patient stories and experiences with the hopes that we can better understand their needs, overcome barriers to care and more comprehensively support those who need it.
At Jazz, we work tirelessly to transform the lives of the patients we serve. We are committed to continuously raising awareness of epilepsy for those with the condition who encounter challenges in their daily lives, as well as with receiving appropriate care. We’re using this day to pause and reflect on the progress the community has made for people living with epilepsy and advance our purpose to innovate to transform the lives of patients and their families. We’re proud to wear purple today, and we welcome you to join us in showing your support for the epilepsy community. To learn more about Purple Day and to see how you can get involved, please visit the official Purple Day website.
