Why I Painted My Pumpkin Purple

Michael, on a trip to London 2008

A few weeks ago, during a visit to Dallas, my mother and I were talking about a few different things, one of which was the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  She asked how something like that could have spread so quickly.  When my girlfriend and I explained the impact of social media and how fast it can get to everyone, she asked another question: "Well, Can you do the same thing for Epilepsy?"

I will explain.

On Nov 9th, 2012, my brother, Michael, passed away due to his epileptic condition.  It was a devastating blow to our family and a daily struggle we still deal with today.  What we realized after his passing, was how little we were informed of his condition and how little people know today. We were left with more questions than answers.  We knew that his condition was hard on him, but we had no idea that it could result in his death. 

The most common cause of death is SUDEP or Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. While there is a lot we still don’t know about SUDEP, experts estimate that one out of every 1000 people with epilepsy die from SUDEP each year. People can also die from prolonged seizures (status epilepticus). About 22,000 to 42,000 deaths in the US each year occur from these seizure emergencies (epilepsy.com)

While I don't want to take away from what the ALS Bucket Challenge was able to do by raising awareness, millions of people suffer from epilepsy and there is still little know about it.

So when my mother asked me if we could do something to remember Michael and spread the word about Epilepsy Awareness, I thought long and hard.  November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, but as with most holidays this season, they happen at the end of the month.  I was driving past a church near my house last week that was having their annual Pumpkin Harvest Festival.  And it hit me, to paint my pumpkin purple/lavender for the color of epilepsy, take photos, and put it out on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) with the sole goal to increase people's awareness.  Afterwards, I decided to do research and found out that I wasn't alone.  There were already groups doing the same thing to raise awareness.  So I wanted to add to that.

Michael having his brain mapped to investigate the cause of his seizures, just months before his passing.

Did you know that even with today's medication, epilepsy CANNOT be cured? Epilepsy is a chronic medical problem that for many people can be successfully treated. At Least 1 million people in the United States have uncontrolled epilepsy. There is still an urgent need for more research, better treatments and a cure.

But to me the biggest issue is awareness. I hope by reading this you learned something new. I'm not asking you to dump ice cold buckets of water on your head for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, or to grab a crotch for Testicular Cancer Awareness, but there are a few things you can do. 

1.) Take a few minutes and either paint a pumpkin purple to spread awareness or remember a loved one who passed.  When sharing online, use the hashtags: #epilepsy #epilepsyawareness 

2.) Take just 2 minutes and read more at epilepsy.com

3.) Read the beautiful article about Michael's life here: Texas Catholic Online

Thank you.